In The Beginning
by DragonKatGal
Summary: *WIP* Buffy Summers was always destined to be a Slayer. What if the Council HAD found her first? *NEW: Chapter 59*
1. Joyce

In the Beginning

SUMMARY: They always go on about how Buffy wasn't a 'Council trained' Slayer.  What if she had have been?

DISCLAIMER: *sighs* Not mine.

PAIRING: No romantic stuff, just explores friendshippy niceness.  Lotsa B/G, B/Ethan, B/X, W/X etc.

SPOILERS: Pretty much everything.  

NOTES: If you've read my fic 'Blackness of Sunnydale', you'll notice the pattern of me hating Hank. ;)  Also, the time differences don't really mean much.  They're probably wrong for all I know.  Ooo, but the dates are actually all correct!!  I'm pretty proud that the days fall on the actual dates in the different years.  Yay me!  And, I don't know jack about New York, or Ireland or Russia or Romania.

CHAPTER ONE: JOYCE

Saturday: 5pm 

**25th January 1986**

New York 

It was raining that afternoon, the one that changed her world.  He'd been drinking.  Again.  It was only five o'clock, and already he was so far gone that he'd forgotten her name.  She sighed and looked towards her daughter.  The love of her life.

Her daughter grinned up at her, completely oblivious to the drunken man leading them out of the hotel.  They'd come for his business.  He was a lawyer, one of the best.  Hank Summers.  Beloved husband and devoted father.  Or, so his colleagues thought.  His wife, Joyce Summers, would have informed you otherwise.

Their exceedingly precocious daughter, who had only just turned five years old the week before, was Beth 'Buffy' Summers.  The only thing in the world that kept Joyce from going completely insane and leaving her husband for good.

Hank took the keys out of his pocket and Joyce immediately became worried.

"Hank, why don't you let me drive?" 

She hated this part.  He always said no, telling her that he was fine.  Today was no exception.

"I'm fine," he snapped, unlocking the car.  He only fumbled the keys twice while trying to find the lock.  Joyce swallowed nervously and carefully strapped Buffy into the child seat in the back, making certain that she was safely buckled in, holding the stuffed pig that had been a birthday gift from Joyce the previous year.  Where Buffy went, so went the pig.  

Joyce took her seat in the front, buckling her seatbelt and waited for Hank to start the car.  

She hated New York, always had.  When Hank had asked her to come, she had been reluctant, but Buffy had pleaded with her.

"Wanna see the Big Apple momma.  Daddy promised.  'Sides, it's my birfday."

Who could have said no to that?  That was why she had packed herself a bag and one for Buffy and left their home in LA and flown to New York.  Hank had rented a Mercedes for the week, hoping to impress their clients.  Sometimes, Joyce wondered whether Hank even loved her and their daughter or if he merely considered them as trophies to show to his clients and colleagues.

The rain was making it hard to see, and even with the windscreen wipers going as fast as they could, Hank was still having problems.

"Damn rain," he swore under his breath.

Buffy giggled, but immediately quietened when her father gave her a warning look.  "Sorry daddy."

"S'okay princess.  The rain's just making it hard for daddy to see," he replied.

Joyce looked out the window, willing herself not to clench the seats of the car too hard.  Her hands were already beginning to cramp up.  She was too preoccupied with trying to not appear to be nervous that she wasn't watching what Hank was doing.  And it was in that second of not watching the road that her world went black, and her daughters high pitched screams were the last thing she heard before the pain took over.  Joyce Summers completely blacked out while her husband lay sprawled over the bloodied steering wheel, never to wake up again.

Buffy could only cry silently until the ambulance came, hugging her pink pig to her chest, refusing to let go.

  ----------------------

(I am aware that Buffy is technically NOT blonde, but I really don't care.  That and Joss has seemingly forgotten that as well…gotta love continuity.)

The two Summers women were taken to the hospital while the 'man of the house' was taken to the morgue.  Whispers among passers-by of the accident had seen the small girl and whispered among themselves about how sad and tragic it must be for her.

The hospital staff worked to keep the small blonde girl from screaming in pain as they worked to remove four shards of glass that had cut into her arms.  They had tried to take the girls pig away from her, but she had steadfastly refused to give him up without biting whomever tried to take it.  They eventually gave up and let her keep the stuffed animal, but were still having troubles getting the girl to stay still while they removed the glass.  After realising that Buffy was not going to be quiet any time soon, they quickly sedated the girl, letting her fall into a healing sleep as other doctors in the ER worked frantically to keep the girl's mother alive.

For nearly an hour, doctors operated on Joyce Summers, trying to get her lungs functioning without a machine, trying to make the woman regain consciousness.  Without any luck, they induced were forced to induce a coma and hooked the woman up to a respirator to help her breathe.  

With both mother and daughter unconscious or asleep, the hospital staff moved their talents to other patients and waited until they could do more.  One of the staff, a nurse from England, quickly informed her supervisor that she was taking a break, and quickly made a phone call. 


	2. Mary

CHAPTER TWO: MARY

Saturday: 12 noon (time differences…don'tcha love em?) 

**25th January 1986**

London: Watcher's Council 

Quentin Travers walked quickly towards his office.  He had been informed that there was an important phone call waiting for him, one that he would want to take.

"Travers here," he said, picking up the telephone.

"Mr Travers," came the excited voice on the other side of the phone.  Travers pressed the phone closer to his ear, the connection shoddy over the long-distance.  "It's Mary Cartwright, sir, calling from New York."

"Ah, yes, Mary," Travers said, only vaguely remembering who she was.  "What can I do for you?"

"I believe I've just found another Potential sir," she said.

Travers sat up quickly.  "Are you certain?  I'd assumed that we'd found them all."

"I'm very certain sir.  She's got the marking of a Slayer, the mole on her shoulder," Mary said.

Travers rubbed his chin thoughtfully and sat back in his desk chair.

"In New York, you say?" 

"Yes sir.  She's currently in the hospital, they just brought her in from a car accident," she explained.

"And her parents?" Travers asked.  That was always the hardest part, getting parents to give up their children.  British parents were easier to convince, many of them having heard of the prestigious Watcher's Council, but American, Canadian and Australian parents all seemed to be extremely possessive.  Travers couldn't understand it.

"Her father died in the crash, and her mother's in a coma," Mary said.

Travers smiled.  That certainly made things far easier.

"I have a correspondent in New York, I'll inform him that you've located a Potential.  He'll be in to pick her up as soon as possible," Travers said.

Mary quickly gave Travers the information as to what hospital the girl was in and Travers hung up, only to make another call to New York.

"It's Travers.  I need a favour.  Yes, another Potential.  Yes I know you nearly got arrested last time.  Of course you'll be well compensated.  Yes, in a New York hospital.  Yes, that's the one.  Beth Summers.  Alright.  Thank you.  Of course, Mr Rayne.  Pleasure doing business with you."

Travers smiled as he hung up the phone.  He hated Ethan Rayne with a passion, but if there was something that he had learned about Ethan, the man was willing to do _anything_ to make money.  Even taking children out of hospitals.


	3. Buffy

CHAPTER THREE: BUFFY

Saturday: 6:30pm 

**25th January**

**New York: St Peter's Hospital**

Mary Cartwright stood nervously outside the children's ward.  She knew she would be fired, if not outright arrested and deported, if she were caught helping someone escape with a patient.  But, she also knew that if she wasn't seen in the children's ward, she wouldn't be connected to it at all.

Ethan Rayne appeared a few minutes later, carrying a sleeping child in his arms.  He winked at Mary and continued down the hall, trying to look as inconspicuous as possible.  He breathed a sigh of relief when he stepped outside into the parking lot.

"This is the last time I ever do this again, I'll tell you that," he whispered to the sleeping child.  He smiled when he finally saw what the girl was clutching in a death grip.  A stuffed pink pig.  He frowned a little when he remembered that the Council would be quick to take it away from her.

He placed her gently in the front seat of his car, strapping her in carefully.  He gave a sad sigh, knowing what was going to happen to this young girl that he was about to hand over to the Council.  She would be trained to be a Slayer, whether she was Called or not. 

She would most likely never see her home again, and her life would ultimately be cut short.  It was one of the few things that got to him, especially when he witnessed these children so peaceful like Beth Summers.  He had to admit she did look like a darling child.  

He shook of his hesitancy and drove towards the private landing strip just outside of New York.  There would be a plane waiting for him there to take he and the Potential Slayer to London.  He could only hope that the young girl didn't hate airplanes.

------------------------

Buffy slept for the better part of the trip.  Ethan had set her on a seat that had reclined fully, and her diminutive stature meant she had a massive amount of legroom.  When she awoke, she had been confused to say the least.  

Ethan had watched her carefully as the girl opened her baby blue eyes and looked at her surroundings.  She had taken one look at Ethan and begun screaming.  Ethan had been hard-pressed to not cover his ears, and instead, he had stepped forward to try and comfort the girl.

"Beth, Beth, it's okay," he said, trying to be reassuring.

She just kept screaming and ignoring him, kicking him when he got close enough.  He winced as one of the kicks hit his knee.

"Definitely a Potential," he whispered to himself.

After another minute of screaming, Ethan had had enough.  He lunged towards the girl and clamped a hand over her mouth to stop the noise.  He lifted her effortlessly and placed her on his knee, hand still covering her mouth.

"If I let you go, will you be quiet?" he asked.

She glared at him, and Ethan tried not to smile.  She really was adorable.  She finally gave up their silent staring competition and nodded.  He moved his hand away only to have her begin screaming again.  He clamped her mouth shut again.

"I can sit with you like this the entire flight if I have to," he warned.  "It won't be comfortable for you, but it won't bother me."

She glared and rolled her eyes.  She had a certain amount of fire to her that Ethan liked.  In a move that was quicker than Buffy could react to, Ethan grabbed the pink pig off Buffy and held it out of her reach.  The girl's eyes welled with tears and Ethan immediately saw that he had won.

"I'll give this back to you if you promise to stop screaming, alright?" he asked.

Buffy nodded fearfully and held out her hands to accept the pig.  Ethan gave it to her, and took his hand from her mouth.  Buffy just hugged the animal fiercely, but didn't begin her screaming again.  Ethan breathed a silent sigh of relief.

"You're Beth Summers, yes?" he asked.

Buffy's eyes narrowed and she shook her head, no.  Ethan felt a moment of sheer panic.  He should have checked that before they were halfway across the Atlantic.

"You're not?"

"Nup," she replied.

"Can you tell me your name?" he asked.

Buffy shook her head.  Ethan almost grinned but held back.  He knew what her game was.

"Why not?" he asked, mock offended.

"Not 'sposed to talk to strangers," she replied.

Ethan smiled and stroked the girl's hair.  He'd never really been fond of children before, but this girl was hard not to like.  

"Well, tell you what," he said calmly.  "I'll tell you my name, and you can tell me yours."

Buffy hesitated but finally nodded.  She couldn't see either of her parents anywhere, so she would take what attention she could get.

"I'm Ethan."

Buffy giggled a little.

"You talk funny."

"That's cos I'm British, luv," he explained.

"British?  Was'at?"

"It means that I'm from Britain.  England," he explained. 

"Far away?" she asked.

"Yes, very far."

"Further than N'York is from Taliforn?"

Ethan paused at that.  Taliforn?  It suddenly clicked.  "You mean California?"

"S'what I said," she replied.

"If you say so.  And, yes…further than California is from New York," he explained.

Buffy nodded, unable to comprehend the distance.  She and her parents had flown from Los Angeles to New York only two days ago, and it had been the longest (and only) flight that Buffy had ever been on.  She had adored the plane ride and had been eager to go back home so she could go on a plane for the second time.

"We goin' back to Taliforn?" she asked.

Ethan shook his head sadly.  "Nope.  We're going to London, in England."

Buffy tilted her head to the side.  "Why?"

"Because," he replied playfully.

Buffy giggled and looked at him imploringly.  "My momma and daddy gonna meet us there?"

Ethan immediately sobered.  He had had to do this once before, and he had hated every second of it.  The last Potential had been eight years old and had been hard to deal with, but having to explain to a five year old was just too much for him.

"Someone will explain when we get there, alright?" he asked, hoping to pass on the task to one of the official Watcher's.  He wasn't even a member of Council, merely someone who would do the dirty work so that it couldn't be traced back to them.  

Buffy nodded and finally relaxed in Ethan's arms, the sedative still in her system making her tired.

"You still haven't told me your name," he whispered.

Buffy sighed, almost asleep.  "Buffy."

"And your last name?"

"Summers."

Ethan sighed with relief.  Beth Summers.  Buffy must have been a nickname.  He felt himself relax and let his arms come around to cuddle the girl closer to him.  Within minutes, both the older British man and the young Californian girl were asleep.

(And, NO, Ethan is NOT a paedophile.  I really like his character, so…yeah.  You'll see a lot more of him.) 


	4. Travers

CHAPTER FOUR: TRAVERS

Sunday: 11am 

**26th January 1986**

**London: Watcher's Council**

Ethan stood outside the Council building, the young girl asleep in his arms.  He swallowed hard and tried not to think too hard about what he was about to do.  This was the hardest part, handing over Potentials to the Council, knowing what kind of life he was condemning them to.

He almost walked away, but he heard a voice from behind him.  He turned and sighed sadly.

"Mr Travers," he greeted.

"This is she?" Travers asked.

Ethan nodded reluctantly.  Travers stared in distaste at the young girl who was still clutching the pink pig in her arms.  Ethan followed the older man's stare to the stuffed animal and narrowed his eyes.  He would have to make sure that Travers didn't get his hands on the girls only link to her family.

"Alright then.  Bring her inside," Travers said.

Ethan hesitated for a moment but eventually followed Travers into the building, walking down the halls to the section of the Council that the Potentials lived.  

There were five other Potentials living on Council property.  A new Slayer had been Called the previous week, meaning that there was a room free for the young girl to occupy.  Travers pointed to the free room and Ethan carried Buffy inside.

The room was small, barely able to fit more than a bed and a small chest of drawers.  The walls were cream coloured, and the window was a tiny square in the wall, looking over a concrete courtyard.  Ethan frowned but didn't let Travers see it.  He set Buffy down on the bed, folding the covers over the girl.

"No problems getting her out I take it," Travers said.

"No.  None," Ethan replied.  He cast a regretful look to the young girl. 

"Well, I think we're done here then," Travers said, looking at Ethan pointedly.

Ethan nodded and went to leave the room.  He watched as Travers bent down over the girl and took the stuffed animal from her.  Buffy protested sleepily but didn't put up a real fight over it.  Ethan frowned once more and quickly intercepted the pig from Travers.

"I'll get rid of it on my way out," he said.

Travers smiled gratefully and Ethan left, trying to keep the guilt from eating him alive.  Ethan shut the door, leaving Buffy alone with Travers.  Breathing in deeply, Ethan forced himself to walk away.

------------------------

Buffy awoke in a strange room with a strange man staring at her intently.  She shrank back from him, her hand reaching blindly around her trying to locate her pig.  When she couldn't find it, she stood angrily.

"You took him!" she yelled.

Travers just sat there calmly.  He didn't flinch when the angry young girl stood in front of him, her hands on her hips, righteous indignation written across her face.

"Where'd he go?  You took him, didn'tcha?"

"If you're referring to that infernal pig of yours, then yes.  He's gone," Travers replied.

Buffy glared up at the man.

"You talk like Mr Ethan.  Where'd he go?" she asked.

"He went home, I would imagine."

"We in England?" she asked.

"Yes we are," he replied.  

"Where's my momma and my daddy?"

Travers leant forward in his chair.  

"They're gone Miss Summers.  They had to go away.  They were taken up to heaven," he said.  

His voice was gentle; as it always was when explaining to Potentials that they're parents had 'died'.  It was the easiest way to explain to them that they would never see their families again.

"To heaven?  Like where poppy went?" she asked.

Travers nodded, having no real idea what she was talking about.  He assumed she was talking about a grandfather.

Buffy sniffled tearfully and sat back on the bed.  She wiped at her eyes and curled into a ball.

"Don't fret Beth," he said calmly.  "We're going to take care of you here."

She glared at him and crossed her arms across her stomach insolently.

"S'not my name," she said.

"You _are_ Beth Summers, yes?" 

"My name's Buffy, not Beth," she replied.

Travers raised an eyebrow at the ridiculous nickname.  It would not do to indulge in a childish name while she was training.  She was a Potential for heaven's sake.

"You are Beth, not Buffy," he stated.  Buffy had heard her father use the same tone of voice, usually before she was smacked for being naughty.  She hated being hit, so she bit her lip and kept her opinion to herself.

When Travers saw that Buffy wasn't going to argue with him, he sat back in his chair, pleased with himself.

"Well, Beth.  It's the first day of your new life.  You've got a lot to learn. You're our newest Potential, you see," he said.

"P'tential?"

"Yes.  You're going to learn to be a Slayer."


	5. Laurie

CHAPTER FIVE: LAURIE

Wednesday: 4am 

**14th March 1990**

**London: Watcher's Council**

Beth had been awake all night.  She usually slept fairly well, but tonight was an exception.  Something was going to happen.  She could feel it.  She had asked two of the other Potentials about it, and they said that they knew something was coming as well.  Something that had to do with slaying.  

During her sparring session earlier the previous day with one of the older Potentials, she had asked if the other girl knew what it had meant.  Sixteen-year-old Laurette 'Laurie' Grasner had told her that one of them was going to be Called.

Beth had known within her soul, the second that Laurie had told her that a new Slayer was going to be Called, that the next Slayer would be Laurie.  She didn't know how she knew that it would be Laurie, but she just knew.  She didn't tell Laurie her suspicions, only asking casually.

"Who do you think will be next?" Beth asked.

Laurie had shrugged and tried to stun Buffy with a right hook.  The small blonde girl had ducked under Laurie's punch and kicked out at the older Potential, sending Laurie stumbling back.

"I'm not too sure. Maybe Alex or MJ," Laurie replied.  "It may not even be a Potential from here."

Beth nodded and faked right, delivering a left hook to the older girl.  Laurie caught it easily but had trouble pushing the younger girl away.  Laurie loved Beth like a sister, but she hated sparring with her.  At nine-years-old, Beth was one of the best fighters that the Council had ever seen.  And, as one of the oldest Potentials, sparring with the young blonde girl was sometimes incredibly embarrassing when she didn't win.  Although, none of the other Potentials ever won against the youngest girl either.

"You don't think it could be you?" Beth asked.

Laurie just shook her head.  "I don't think so.  Why would anyone chose me?" 

As though to add weight to her statement, Laurie was thrown to the ground by the young girl.  Beth helped her up, not even aware of the embarrassment burning within the older girl.  It wasn't often that they sparred together, but their trainers knew that Beth could easily take down the girls her own age.  There was no point in making Beth spar with opponents that were too easily beaten.

"You're a good fighter," Beth said.

Laurie just shook her head.  "Says the _nine-year-old_ who just took me down."

Beth shook her head.  "I'm just smaller, makes me harder to hit.  I've seen you spar with MJ, you move like a Slayer."  

Beth was about to go into a longer explanation when she heard a voice behind her calling her name.  She froze instantly.  Quentin Travers.  The one man she feared above all others.  She turned and looked up at him, incredibly conscious of his incredible height compared to hers.

"Miss Summers, what have I told you about talking during training?" he asked.

Beth swallowed hard.  She had hated this man since she could remember.  She had vague memories of yelling at this man when she had first come to the Council, though she couldn't rightly remember about what.

"I'm sorry sir," she apologised nervously.

"This is the third time this week," Travers continued.

Laurie looked at the younger girl sympathetically.  The other Potentials had stopped their training to watch the confrontation between Watcher and Potential, nine sets of eyes staring at them.

"I know," Beth whispered.

Travers looked around and saw the other Potentials watching them.  He gave them a quick glare and they quickly went back to their own sparring, all of them still managing to keep an eye on Beth.  

All of the Potentials adored the small blonde girl.  Even though it was discouraged to take an interest in each other, they all agreed that the young American girl was too cute for words.  She was the favourite among them all, her fire and her spirit making all nine other Potentials drawn to her.  They hated to see her punished for being friendly to the other girls, but all of them were too afraid of Quentin to speak up about it.

"Perhaps we should take a walk to my office where you can learn your lesson properly," Travers suggested.

Buffy's eyes went wide and she felt her heart drop.  She'd been taken to his office at least twenty times before and each time she had ended up with bruises and welts from Travers' cane.  

"No, sir, I promise," she said frantically.  "No more talking, I swear."

Travers shook his head and stepped towards the small girl, putting a hand on the middle of her shoulders and pushing her towards the door.  She would have struggled but she knew that even though she could take any of the Potentials down easily, Travers was a different matter.  He wasn't skilled in fighting, but he had the advantage of strength over her.  He could easily pick her up and had done so on previous occasions when he had thought her to be overly insolent. 

The door slammed shut behind them and the nine Potentials winced in sympathy.  With heavy hearts, they went back to their training.

------------------------

The bedside clock ticked over to 4:15, and Beth still couldn't sleep.  Her back was aching, ten red strips running across her flesh.  She had managed to hold back tears whilst Travers had been teaching her a lesson, but as soon as he had let her go with a warning of a worse punishment if it were to happen again, she had run down the corridor towards her room and burst into tears.  

She hadn't been to dinner, which was another reason why she was still awake.  Her stomach was growling and her back was protesting, and she couldn't seem to get comfortable.  And, she knew that Laurie was going to be Called.  

It was a quarter to five before she finally drifted off to sleep.

------------------------

Beth ran down the hall, running slightly late to the first lesson of the day.  The teacher gave her a stern look, but when Miss Watson had seen the red-rimmed face of the youngest Potential, she had just given the girl a warning and told her to take her seat.  The relief and thankfulness written on the girl's face had been enough to show Miss Watson that she had done the right thing in not scolding the girl.

Beth looked around the room hurriedly, and sighed in relief when she saw that Laurie was still in her regular seat at the back.  They were seated in age order, which meant that Beth was at the front for every class, something that she hated seeing as a lot of the teachers tended to pick on her, especially teachers that were heavily under Travers' influence.

The lesson flew by quickly, Beth taking notes that were neat and accurate.  She hated classes, but more than anything she knew that if she didn't learn what was being taught she would be punished.  

Travers hated her for some unknown reason, and he took great pleasure in reminding her of it, if not verbally, than in other ways.  The other Potentials were punished for larger offences, but if Beth did the slightest thing wrong, she would be taught to never do so again.  She had once thought that Travers had treated all the Potentials fairly, but one of the other girls, a fifteen year old by the name of Alexandria had quickly told her otherwise.

_"Why's he so horrible to you Bethie?  He's never been that mean to any of us."_

Beth had been six years old at the time.  She had been at the Council for a year and although her protests had been long and loud for the first month, she had learned not to say anything bad about the Council very quickly.  At first, the punishments had been light; slaps on the hands with rulers, or small smacks on her bottom.  It hadn't been any worse than what her parents had done to her.

Six months later, when she had finally started her sparring training, Travers had declared that she would have to gain a higher tolerance of pain, and her punishments had been harsh.  Beatings with a cane, and often depriving her of meals.  His favourite was having someone shadow her for the day and making sure she didn't talk at all, unless it was to answer a question from either a trainer or a teacher.

Beth was a naturally chatty person, and even after four years within the Council walls, it had never been taken from her.  It was the main reason that all the other Potentials loved the girl, and the same reason that Travers disliked her with a violent passion.

Beth grinned at Laurie who smiled back, wondering how Beth could bounce back so easily after being beaten by Travers.  Laurie had only once had that as a form of punishment, two strokes across her back.  She'd been sullen for the next two days.

Beth managed to catch up to Laurie on her walk down the corridor to the next lesson.

"You okay?" Beth asked.

Laurie looked down at the girl, genuinely confused.

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?"

Beth waved the question away, determined to get an answer from Laurie before they went into their next class.

"I'm serious.  Are you alright?"

Laurie nodded, still unsure as to what the young girl was trying to say.

"I'm fine Bethie, why do you ask?"

Beth hesitated but finally blurted out the truth.  "I think you're gonna be the next one Called."

Laurie's eyes went wide.  "Is this cos of what we were talking about yesterday?"

Beth nodded.   "Don't ask me how, but…I _know_ it's gonna be you."

Laurie smiled gently and just shook her head.  "It won't be me.  Trust me Bethie.  Alex is far better than I am.  She'll be the next one."

They had entered the classroom and Beth had immediately closed her mouth.  Mr Ramond was notorious for picking on the young Potential, and she didn't want to give him any ammunition before the class even began.  She desperately wanted to talk to Laurie, but kept her instincts to herself for the next hour, frantically writing notes to keep up with Mr Ramond's rapid-fire way of teaching.

Half an hour into the lesson though, Laurie gasped and clutched at her chest.  The entire class went silent and turned to look at the girl.  Beth went pale as she realised what had just happened.

"Miss Grasner, is there a problem?" Mr Ramond asked, agitation in his voice.  He hated being interrupted.  

Laurie nodded, trying to regulate her breathing.  She got herself under control and looked towards Beth with wide and frightened eyes.  

"No sir.  I'm alright."

Mr Ramond nodded and went back to teaching.  He was interrupted two minutes later when someone knocked on the door.  Annoyed, Mr Ramond answered it.  Beth strained to hear what was said.

Quentin Travers entered the room, glaring at Beth before his gaze fell on Laurie.

"Miss Grasner, if you would come with me please."

Laurie swallowed nervously and cast an anxious look towards Beth who just gave her an encouraging smile.  She stood and left her books on the table, following Quentin Travers out of the room.  

Beth blinked back tears and knew that she would never see Laurie again.


	6. Ethan

CHAPTER SIX: ETHAN

Saturday: 12pm 

**6th June 1992**

**London: Watcher's Council**

Ethan Rayne walked through the corridors of the Watcher's Council.  He hadn't been there for over six years, not since giving Buffy Summers over to them.  He hated to admit it, but there hadn't been a day go by that he hadn't thought of the young girl.  He still had Buffy's pink pig, a constant reminder that he had ruined a young girls life.

He wasn't technically allowed onto Council grounds without express permission, but the guilt had finally got the better of him.  He had planned this visit for the last three days, finding a rare book that the Council would be interested in so that he would have a reason to be on Council property.  He had found a large jacket to wear so that he could smuggle the pig into the compound without raising any suspicions.

He had a few contacts in the Council, one of whom was a trainer for the Potentials.  Ethan had casually asked a few questions and had ended up with a full itinerary for the Potentials on weekends.  He was lucky that they spent the better part of Saturday outdoors.

He walked through to the library and presented Roger Sampson, the head librarian, the ancient tome.  Roger's mouth fairly salivated when he saw that it was a volume the Council didn't have, and he quickly took the book from Ethan.  Ethan had grinned and stated that he was going to have a look around the grounds.  Roger had been too busy looking through the book to realise that Ethan wasn't actually allowed to be there.

Ethan had walked through the librarian's office with Roger not even noticing, and had gone out onto the terrace that lead to the back lawns.  There, he found seven Potential Slayers lazing in the sun, eating lunch on the grass.  He scanned the group quickly and smiled when he saw Buffy.  She was sitting with three other girls, chatting as though she didn't have a care in the world.

She had changed a fair bit, her hair a little darker than he remembered, but her face was still the open and innocent face that he had memorised so long ago.  She was eleven years old now.  Ethan just watched for a moment, carefully seeing where their trainers were seated in relation to Buffy.

There were only two trainers with them, and with a little magick, Ethan knew that he would be able to get the girls attention.  He quickly did a simple spell, a small explosion that only Buffy could hear.  He watched as Buffy's head snapped up and looked towards the building.  The other girls she was sitting with looked at her in confusion.  

Buffy shook her head and Ethan nearly groaned.  He re-did the spell and Buffy quickly got to her feet.  She passed by the trainers who waved her towards the building.  Ethan could only guess that she had asked to use the bathroom.

He watched as she walked towards the building, coming towards the library terrace, the closest entrance.  She walked up the stairs, and flashed him a polite smile as she had been taught to do to all the Watcher's that she came across.

"Buffy," he said quietly.

She stopped in her tracks and looked at him in amazement.  She hadn't heard that name since she was five years old.  Her breath caught in her throat.  She looked at him curiously, wondering who he was.

"You don't remember me?" he asked.

She shook her head, trying to place him.  He reached into his jacket, and Buffy immediately tensed, assuming he was going for some sort of weapon.  When he pulled out a pink stuffed pig, Buffy felt her mouth go dry.

She looked up at him with wide eyes.

"Where did you get that?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

He stepped towards her, but she stepped back.  He stopped in his tracks and held the stuffed animal out to her.

"You remember this?" he asked gently.

Tears pricked her eyes and she nodded, taking the pig from him.  

"Mr Gordo," she whispered.

Ethan smiled.  He had never known what the pigs name was, and had always wondered what the small girl had named it.  Now he knew.  She looked up at him, a single tear sliding down her cheek.

"You're the man from the plane," she said.

He nodded, feeling a lump in his throat.  

"I'm trying to remember your name," she whispered.

"Ethan," he replied.

She nodded, the memory coming back to her.  She hadn't thought about him in years.  The first few years she had often wondered what had happened to him.  He had been kind to her, even though she had only spoken with him for a short time before she had fallen asleep on his lap.

"You came to give me this?" she asked.

He nodded.  "Travers wanted to throw it away, but…I managed to stop him."

"Thank you."

He nodded and stepped forward again.  She didn't step back.  He took another step forward and held his arms out to her, gesturing that he wanted to hug her.  She hesitated a moment before stepping forward and putting her arms around his waist, burying her face into his chest.  Well, technically his upper stomach, due to his height.

She hadn't been hugged like this for years and the warmth of it was making her want to burst into sobs.  She hadn't been hugged by any of the other Potentials since she had turned ten, something that she sorely missed.  And, having someone that was somewhat familiar that wasn't a Potential was something that she had missed without knowing that she was missing it.

"I'm so sorry Buffy," he whispered.

She looked up at him, eyes wide.  He was thrown by the fact that she didn't know why he was apologising. 

"I sentenced you to this life, to being a Slayer," he explained.

Buffy shook her head.  "It's fate Ethan.  Just fate."

Ethan nodded, knowing what the Watchers told these girls.  

"You don't hate me?" he asked.

She shook her head once more.  "How can I hate you when you just gave me my life back?" she asked, indicating the stuffed animal.

Ethan smiled and held back tears.  He touched the girls cheek gently and leant down to kiss her forehead.

"I have to go.  I'm not supposed to be here," he said.

Buffy looked stricken at the thought of never seeing him again.  She felt a connection to him, even though she barely knew him.

"Will I see you again?" she asked.

He looked surprised at the question.

"If you want to."

"I do."

Ethan nodded and tried to think of something.  "I can come on weekends.  We can meet here at the same time."

"The trainers might get suspicious," she said.

He smiled at her quick thinking abilities.

"Then I'll alternate the times of my visits.  Just listen for the exploding sounds, and you'll know when to come find me," he explained.

Her face lit up into a smile.  He thought it was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.  

"That was you?" she asked.

He nodded and she laughed a little.

"Alright.  Then…I'll see you next week I guess."

He nodded and gave her one last hug.  Looking back once, Buffy headed back to where the other Potentials sat, a smile on her face.  

------------------------

Saturday: 12pm 

**19th December 1992**

**London: Watcher's Council**

Ethan kept his word and visited weekly, short visits that lasted only about ten minutes at the most.  Buffy surprised him in the fourth week when she slid a three page letter into his hands when they went to say their goodbyes.  He had read it with a smile on his face and tears in his eyes when he had gotten home, and had written a reply and given it to her the next weekend.  

And so their correspondence continued.  The weekly visits and the exchange of the letters.  She only told him the better parts of life in the Council, knowing that he felt guilty over being the one to put her there.  She spoke of her friendships, of her hopes and her fears.  She never spoke of Travers.  So, on the twenty-ninth visit when Buffy failed to show up for their weekly meeting, Ethan felt his heart sink.

There was no way he could ask for her without drawing attention to the fact that he had been seeing her every week for the last few months.  He was worried sick and after a few minutes hesitation, he finally decided on a course of action.  He concentrated on one of the Potentials that he knew Buffy spoke with frequently and performed the same spell on her that he used to get Buffy's attention.  

The girl, a fourteen year old named Sarah, looked up startled.  He recast the spell and Sarah got to her feet, walking towards the building, huddling into her jacket against the cold.  

Ethan called out to her to stop her from going inside.

"Sarah!"

She looked at the man, worried but slightly curious as to how he knew her and what he wanted.

"How do you know who I am?" she asked.

Ethan shook his head.  "It's not important.  I need to ask you something."

She looked at him sceptically, but waited to hear what he had to say.

"There's a girl here, a Potential.  Buf - Beth Summers," he said.  He wasn't used to having to call her by her proper name.  He had always thought of her as Buffy, and he continued to call her that in all of his letters.

Sarah's face fell when she heard Beth's name and Ethan saw it immediately.  He began panicking once more.

"What's wrong?  Is she ill?  Did something happen to her?"

Sarah shook her head sadly.  "Mr Travers happened.  Again."

Ethan's eyes darkened.  "Travers?  What did he do?"

Sarah hesitated, but felt oddly comforted by the fact that Beth had someone who was so obviously concerned for her.  She quickly decided to confide in the man in hopes that he could do something about Travers' treatment of Beth.

"We were training.  She was sparring with Maddy.  She…Maddy always drops her shoulder when she goes to attack, and Bethie told her about it.  Mr Travers heard it and told Beth that she wasn't a trainer and that she had no right to criticise Maddy.  He always picks on her, even though she was right, cos Maddy _does_ drop her shoulder.  He took her out of the room again and…well, she wasn't at breakfast this morning," Sarah explained.

Ethan felt the rage burning within him.  

"Have you seen her since then?" he asked frantically.

Sarah nodded.  "I went into her room to see how she was this morning, but…"

"But what?  Was she alright?"

"He's never hit her that hard before," Sarah whispered, tears in her eyes.

Ethan swallowed the lump in his throat.  

"Can you tell me how to get to her room?" 

Sarah hesitated, cast a look back to where the other Potentials were seated and saw that no one was paying attention to her.

"You know how to get to the Porter Wing?" she asked.  Ethan nodded.  "Our rooms are on the third corridor on the right.  She's in the fifth room on the left."

Ethan nodded and took off quickly, shouting his thanks and leaving a mystified Sarah in his wake.

He raced down the corridors, locating the Porter Wing and skidding to a halt at the third corridor to the right.  He counted off the rooms quickly and stood in front of Buffy's door.  He knocked softly.  He heard a sniffle come from inside and forced himself not to break down the door.

"It's open," she called.  He could hear her trying to calm herself down.

He opened the door and stepped inside.  The surprise and relief on Buffy's face were evident, and Ethan could tell that she had been crying for a long time.  He raced to her, gathering her in his arms.  She cried out in pain and Ethan immediately let her go.  

"What did he do to you?" he asked angrily.

She shrank back from him.  She'd never seen him angry before.

"Buffy, please," he implored.  "You have to tell me."

She wiped her eyes and turned away from him.  With shaking hands, she undid the buttons of her soft cotton blouse and took it off, clutching the material to her chest modestly.

Ethan touched her back with shaky hands, Buffy jumping when his fingertips grazed her broken skin.

"He's done this before hasn't he?" Ethan asked.

Buffy could only nod.

"Why didn't you say anything?" 

She turned to look at him, surprised to see tears in his eyes.

"Because I know you Ethan.  You would have blamed yourself," she said.

"I do blame myself luv," he whispered.  He brought a hand up to her cheek, wiping away her tears.  "You're here because of me."

"It's not your fault that Travers hates me," she said.  "And I woulda ended up here eventually."

Ethan sat down on her bed and stared at her, looking away in a gentlemanly fashion when Buffy went to put her shirt back on.

"I could have done something about this though," he protested.

She turned to him, anger in her eyes.

"If you say anything to him, he'll make it ten times worse," she said.  "I can take the punishments he deals out.  And as long as they're directed at me, he doesn't touch any of the others."

"You think it's alright for him to do this to you?" he asked incredulously.

"No, I don't, but, Ethan, think about this!  If you confronted him about it, he would know that we've been meeting.  And if he takes that away from me, I don't know what I'll do," she cried.  "You've become like a father to me Ethan.  I can't remember my dad at all, and you've given me someone I can think of as a dad.  I won't let him take that from me.  And if it takes being hit to keep it from him, then I'll take it, so long as I can keep this."

Ethan shook his head.  "I can take you away from this Buffy.  You may never be the Slayer.  You could come with me, and you'd never have to hear the word vampire again."

Buffy shook her head sadly and wiped away a tear from Ethan's face.

"I can't Ethan.  I'm next after Sarah and Maddy," she replied calmly.

Ethan looked at her inquisitively.  "What do you mean?"

"I mean, that the next Slayer to be Called will be Sarah.  And after her will be Maddy, and then it'll be me."

She remembered predicting Laurie's calling before it had happened.  She had then gone on to predict Laurie's death to be six months after she was Called.  She had known that Alex would be next, and Alex had been.  Alex had lasted a year.  Buffy had predicted that after Alex would be MJ, and it had happened.  The evening MJ had been Called, Buffy had dreamt that the next would be Sarah, and after Sarah it would be Maddy and then herself.

"How do you know that?" he asked.

She smiled enigmatically.  "I just do.  I've never been wrong before."


	7. Faith

CHAPTER SEVEN: FAITH

Thursday: 4pm 

**25th August 1994**

**London: Watcher's Council**

Beth hadn't been wrong about Sarah.  Six months after she had told Ethan that Sarah was going to be next, the older girl had been Called.  The previous evening had been the same sleepless kind of evening that Beth had experienced before Laurette had been Called.  That had been in June of 1993.

After Sarah had left the Council, Beth had stepped up her training skills.  She sparred with anyone who was willing to take her on outside of the allocated training times.  One of the trainers, Jeremiah Miller, had begun teaching her how to street fight, not just the martial art techniques that she had already mastered.  

She was thirteen now, and becoming more anxious.  She knew who would be Called and who wouldn't.  She didn't know who to feel more sorry for, the girls who _were_ Called, or the ones who weren't.  The ones who became Slayers died early, sometimes within months, sometimes after a few years, but death was always lurking over their shoulders.  The girls who weren't Called were forced to stay at the Council until they turned eighteen.  The Potentials could only be Called between the ages of twelve and eighteen, and the Council wouldn't let them leave until they were certain that the girls wouldn't be Called.

Beth knew who was to be Called after her, though she didn't recognise the girl's face.  She had asked one of the trainers who was fond of her about other training facilities.  He had replied that there were other places that Potentials were trained, but Travers preferred the girls to be trained in England where they could be watched far closer.

Beth knew that the next girl would be Kendra, and after Kendra would be someone named Faith.  She had dreamt about Faith on more than one occasion, and when a new Potential was brought to the compound, Beth knew without a doubt that the new girl was Faith.

Faith was fourteen years old, a year and a bit older than Beth.  She was brought in seven months ago on a late January afternoon, a frown on her face and suspicion and distrust in her eyes.  Beth had overheard Travers talking to one of the trainers, saying that it was awfully late for a Potential to begin training, and that they had only discovered the girl by accident.

Faith was quiet, sullen, but Beth could see a kindred and talkative spirit lurking beneath the tough exterior.  Beth watched Faith's training carefully, keeping an eye on the girl.  None of the other Potentials knew what to make of Faith, but Beth liked her without question.

When they were paired up for the first time about seven months after Faith had begun her training, Beth was thrilled.  She'd never fought Faith before, but she knew Faith's fighting style like the back of her hand.  

Faith regarded the blonde girl cautiously.  Faith hadn't ever bothered trying to become friends with any of the Potentials which was why they were so wary of her, but Beth had always had a smile for Faith even when Faith would just look away every time.  No matter how many times Faith had rejected the silent offers, Beth would always have one more to give.

Faith had never paid attention to anyone else's training other than herself, and when she began circling Beth, she felt completely confident that she could win against the younger girl.  At thirteen, Beth was still the smallest Potential and still constantly getting into trouble from Travers.  Even the youngest Potential, Chloe, who was nine years old was taller than Beth, which was an extremely sore point for Beth.  

Faith struck towards the younger girl and Beth ducked, using her height and speed to her advantage.  Faith smirked and tried again.  Beth caught Faith's fist and gripped it tightly until Faith's knuckles cracked a little.  Faith cried out in pain and Beth immediately let go.  Faith was determined though and tried to catch Beth off guard with a roundhouse kick.  Beth dropped to the floor and shot her leg out to trip Faith onto her back.

Without a word, Beth offered to help the other girl up.  Faith looked at the hand disdainfully for a moment but eventually accepted the help somewhat grudgingly.

"You're not bad blondie," Faith commented.

Beth grinned her thanks.  "You either."

And so the dance continued.  Faith struck towards Beth who executed a perfect back flip, catching Faith's chin with her foot, Faith stumbling backwards and falling to the ground.  Faith grinned even as she touched her sore jaw.

"Teach me," she said quietly.

Beth nodded and showed her the move again without actually hitting Faith.  Faith watched carefully and tried to imitate the move.  After three attempts, she could back flip and land on her feet.  Beth nodded encouragingly.

"Let's see if you can land properly when you actually kick me," Beth said.

Faith looked a little stricken at the thought.

"You _want_ me to kick you?" she asked incredulously.

Beth shrugged.  "I don't _want_ you to kick me, but if you don't practise it, you'll probably land on your ass when you try doing it for real."

Faith nodded hesitantly.  "Alright.  It's your jaw."

Beth laughed a little and they began fighting, Beth holding back so that Faith was winning but still having to try.  Faith only hesitated for a split second before going into the back flip, catching Beth's chin as she did.  Beth stumbled back, but managed to stay standing.

"Nice," she complimented.

Faith went a little red and shrugged it off.  "Thanks."

Beth shook her head and they began the dance once more.  "I want you to do the flip again," Beth said after a few moments.  "But this time, I'm gonna be ready, and I'm gonna do a counter attack."

Faith nodded, and tried to wait until the blonde Potential had lost her footing before going into the flip.  Beth was ready for it though, and before Faith could kick out towards her, she ducked backwards and quickly did a roundhouse kick to Faith's lower back whilst she was airborne, sending Faith flying onto the mats. 

Faith lay there, stunned for a moment, before once more accepting Beth's hand to help her up.

"You alright?" Beth asked.

Faith shrugged and nodded.  "Five by five," she replied.  "Where did you learn that?" 

Beth shrugged.  "Hurts like hell, doesn't it?"

Faith nodded.  "You could say that."

Beth grinned and nodded.  "Just sucks that you can't counter attack the counter attack," she said.  "Once you're in that flip you can't do anything about it if they see it coming."

"Well that bites," Faith commented.  "It's a nice move."

"Looks cool too," Beth replied.

Faith grinned and noticed in a moment of clarity that she had laughed more in the last twenty-minute sparring session than she had in the last six months.  

"I can see why the others like you," Faith commented quietly.

Beth shrugged it off, but Faith could see the girl's ear tips go a little red with the compliment.  "I'm a people person."

"I don't see how you can be when you're around these guys," Faith commented, looking towards the trainers in the room.

Beth shrugged.  "Well, they just can't get me to shut up."

"Yeah I noticed that too," Faith teased.  

Beth rolled her eyes and they began circling each other again, hitting and kicking as they spoke.

"That Travers guy's really got it in for you, that's for sure," Faith commented.

Beth just laughed at the casual mention of Travers' constant punishments.  "He's had it in for me since I was five years old.  Still not sure why," she said.  "I think I've got permanent scars."

Faith looked at the girl with something akin to sympathy written in her eyes.  "Five years old?" she asked.

Beth nodded.  "Yep.  It's my ninth year here."

"Can you even remember your parents?" Faith asked.

Beth just shrugged.  "I can kinda remember mom, nothing specific, just a vague memory of blonde hair and daffodils, but…nothing about my dad."

"Damn, that sucks.  My parents weren't that great, but…I can still remember them," she said.

Beth shot a fist out at Faith and caught the girl's cheek, Faith turning her head to curb the blow.  Faith retaliated with a swift uppercut that Beth jumped back from.  

"I've kinda…I've kinda got a sorta-dad though," Beth said quietly.  She wasn't sure why she was telling Faith.  She hadn't told any of the other Potentials, not even Kelsie, the thirteen-year-old girl she was closest with.

"Yeah?  What's the deal there?" Faith asked.

"I met him when I was five," Beth explained.  "He's the one who brought me to England.  Didn't see him again 'til I was eleven, and we've kept in contact ever since.  Every weekend."

"Is that where you always rush off to?" Faith asked.

Beth's eyes went wide.  She hadn't realised that anyone had noticed her absences from lunch every Saturday.

"Yeah.  I'm surprised you noticed.  No one else has," Beth said.

"You kinda notice things when you're not too busy chatting with all the others," Faith replied.

"What's that about anyway?" Beth asked.

Faith shrugged.  "Dunno.  Just…I never really wanted to be here in the first place.  But, when my folks split up and neither of them were 'found fit' or whatever, these British guys fought for custody."

Beth winced a little.  She couldn't imagine having to come to the Council when you had had a normal life for fourteen years already.  It just didn't seem right.

"Well, I can't blame you for the sullen thing I guess," Beth said.  "But, could you at least quit it when we spar?"

Faith just nodded.  "I kinda think I already have."

Beth laughed and lunged towards the other girl, tackling her to the floor.  "I didn't wanna be the first one to say it."

Faith just grinned and for the first time in years, she had a true friend.

(In the series, I think Faith is meant to be younger, but I wanted her a little bit older.  You'll see why later.)

Thank you soooo much to the people who have been leaving reviews and for people who have been emailing me about this fic!  I neer thought it would get this much response!

In answer to some general questions:

Will this be B/A: there IS a B/A version.  There will EVENTUALLY be a few versions of this fic.  B/A and B/G and a non-ship specific one.  (If enough people are interested, there MAY be a B/X one.)  That's not until Chapter THIRTY though, so there's a LOOOOONG road ahead for us here.

Dawn: yes, she will play a part in this.  Not telling how yet.

Anyways, thanks again!!  I live for feedback!


	8. Jeremiah

CHAPTER EIGHT: JEREMIAH

(This chapters a little disturbing, so…my apologies.  NC-17 rating just to be safe.  Nothing really happens, just an attempt.)

Friday: 11:30pm

**19th July 1996**

London: Watcher's Council

It was late, cold and raining on the Friday night.  The Potentials had been forced to stay inside all day due to the rain outside, and Beth had kept herself busy by writing her weekly letter to Ethan.  The letters seemed to get longer and longer each week.  They had started at three pages, and now they wrote up to about ten pages weekly, describing their weeks day-by-day.  She had finished writing an anecdote about Faith's excitement over learning a new move from Beth and had been about to turn the torch off when her door was opened quickly.

She turned, startled, quickly hiding the letter beneath her pillow, her heart in her throat.  If it had been Travers, finding her with a torch as she finished writing, she would have been severely punished for being awake after lights out.  She almost breathed a sigh of relief when she saw her favourite trainer in the doorway.

"Hey Mr Miller," she greeted.  

Jeremiah Miller was twenty-nine and had been working with Potential Slayers for the last two years, teaching them martial arts.  When Beth Summers had approached him to learn more, he had agreed reluctantly, but after the first month he was eagerly teaching her all that he could.  He found himself going to other instructors to learn more himself so that he could pass it on to Beth.

"Beth," he said quietly.  She rolled onto her back and sat up on the bed cross-legged.  

She regarded him curiously.  He'd never come into her room before.

"What's wrong?  Do you wanna reschedule training tomorrow?" she asked.

He walked towards her, not saying a word.  Beth suddenly felt her mouth dry up.  She didn't like the look in his eyes, and scooted back on the bed, her back on the wall.

"Mr Miller…what are you doing?" 

Her voice was quiet, barely more than a whisper.

Jeremiah took another step forward in the small room and sat on the bed.  Beth jumped up off the bed and went to race from the room, but he was faster than that.  He stood in front of the doorway and kicked the door shut with his foot, never taking an eye off her.

"You're scaring me," she said, meeting his eyes.

He stepped forward, Beth backing up and hitting her back on the wall behind her.

He didn't say a word, just reached out a hand towards her cheek.  She turned away from him, but he grabbed her arm to keep her in place.

"Mr Miller, go home," she whispered.  "You shouldn't be here."

"I'm allowed to be here Beth," he whispered.

She could smell something on his breath, something she hadn't smelt in a long time.  Alcohol.  For the first time since she could remember, she had a flash of her father's face, his breath reeking of alcohol.

"You're drunk," she whispered.

Jeremiah smiled.  "She's quick too.  My little Potential."

She pushed him away from her, Jeremiah stumbling a little.  She tried to get past him to the door, but he grabbed her making her shriek girlishly.  He put a finger to her lips, silencing her.

"Hush, little Potential.  No one has to know about this," he whispered.  "It can be our little secret."

Beth felt a tear slip down her cheek, but refused to let herself begin sobbing.  She'd never been afraid of Mr Miller before, but he was the only trainer that she wasn't able to beat in the sparring matches.  She knew exactly how strong he was, and he was stronger than she was.

He grabbed her by the arms and lifted her off her feet, swinging her around so that her back was to the bed.  He threw her onto it, kneeling beside her.

"No!" she yelled, shoving him away from her.

He backhanded her violently, stunning her a little.  

"After everything I've done for you, this is how you repay me?" he hissed.  "I've trained with you for over two years Beth.  I've taught you everything I could teach you, and you won't even do this for me."

She struggled against him, tears coursing down her cheeks.  They were both startled when the door flew open once again.  An angry Faith stood in the doorway, staring wide-eyed at the scene in front of her.  Her best and only friend was lying on the bed, fear in her eyes and tears on her face while one of the trainers hovered above her, obviously drunk.

Faith's eyes narrowed.

"Get out," she said coldly.

Jeremiah hesitated.  One Potentials word against him, especially Beth Summers' wouldn't have been believed, but against two of the girls, he wouldn't stand a chance.  He shook his head and glared at both of them, getting off the bed and stalking past Faith, out into the hallway.

Faith just stared at her friend who stared back for a moment, breathing hard, disbelief in her eyes.  Seconds later, Beth began sobbing, and all Faith could do was race to her friend and pull the small girl into her arms, whispering comforting words of assurance and safety until they both drifted asleep, neither one daring to suggest that Faith should leave Beth alone.

------------------------

Saturday: 12:30pm

**20th July 1996**

**London: Watcher's Council**

The rain continued throughout the day, making Beth's misery even more complete.  Faith refused to leave Beth's side, something for which Beth was inordinately grateful for.  Beth was skittish the entire day, jumping at the slightest of sounds.  The other Potentials noticed it, but Beth played it off with an easy shrug.

Faith was impressed by Beth's resilience to the attack, but knew that at least part of it was a cover for Faith's sake.  

Lunch came, and Beth felt nervous at the thought of seeing Ethan.  It was absurd, she knew.  She just didn't think she could face up to anyone of the male gender for at least a while.  The letter was in her pocket, she had finished it that morning, not mentioning the attack, but her handwriting was shaky.  She just hoped that Ethan wouldn't notice.

She heard Ethan's signal go off and she stood up shakily.  Faith saw her movements.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

Beth looked at her and dug out the letter in her pocket.  "Weekly visit."

Faith's eyes narrowed.  "Are you sure you wanna go alone?"

Beth hesitated and Faith noticed it straight away.  Beth sighed in frustration.  "I do trust him Faith, but…"

"But you don't wanna be alone with him.  It's cool B.  I can come with ya if you want me to."

Beth nodded gratefully and Faith stood up.  They gave the trainers that were watching them a feeble excuse of having to use the bathroom.  Disinterestedly, the trainers waved them off.  Beth rolled her eyes.  She didn't know why the Council bothered making people watch them on weekends.  There was no way out of the Council property for the Potentials unless they were with an authorised Watcher.  

They were only allowed out of Council property once a year at Christmas to see the city lights on Christmas Eve.  It was one of the most looked-forward-to days of the year.  Twice though, for two years straight, Beth had been forbidden to go with the other Potentials as punishment, and it had been one of the harshest things that Beth had been forced to endure, even though it hadn't left her aching for days afterwards.

Beth led Faith down the corridors towards the designated meeting point that they had decided on for rainy and snowy days.  Beth swallowed nervously and rounded the corner to find Ethan lounging against the wall casually.

He grinned at her then looked at her companion in confusion.  Beth had never taken anyone with her to meet with him before.  Before he had even looked in her eyes, he knew that something had happened.

He smiled at her gently, concern on his face.  She flashed him a brief grin that didn't quite meet her eyes.  He dropped to his knees, making him a little bit shorter than she was.

"Tell me," he whispered quietly.

Faith stood back and watched them, giving a sad smile when she saw Beth crumple and launch herself into Ethan's arms sobbing.  Ethan just held her, stroking her back soothingly.  She didn't yelp in pain or wince away from him, so he knew that it hadn't been a beating.

He looked at Faith questioningly.  She shook her head sadly, telling him that it was bad.

"You're alright Buffy," he whispered.  "You're safe here."

Faith looked at them curiously.  She'd never heard the name Buffy before, but it somehow suited the tiny blonde Potential.  

Buffy sniffled and pulled away from Ethan.  She wiped at her eyes and gave him a self-deprecating smile.

"Sorry," she whispered.

He shook his head, telling her it was alright.  He stood up and pulled her into a one armed hug, looking towards Beth's friend.

He smiled genuinely at her.

"You must be Faith," he said kindly.  "I'd recognise you anywhere."

Faith smiled a little, wondering how he knew her.  

"You been narking on me B?" Faith asked.

Buffy smirked a little and leant back into Ethan's embrace.

"Well, you know how it is.  Just letting him know that I'm still kicking your ass," she teased.

"Bull!" Faith cried.

Ethan laughed a little at the obvious camaraderie between the two Potentials.   

"I think your last letter had two entire pages extolling Faith's virtues," Ethan said.  "Slaying abilities not included."

Buffy went a little red when Faith began staring at her.  While it was true, she didn't like that Ethan had just blurted that out.  She spoke constantly of Faith, the girl that she had become incredibly fond of.  She and Faith had a bond that Buffy had never felt with any of the other Potentials before.  They were both fighting desperately to keep what little they had left of themselves from the Council.

"Yeah well…what can I say?" Buffy said, embarrassed.  "I like ya."

Faith just smiled softly, something that Buffy rarely saw.  The other girl usually grinned or smirked, but hardly ever gave genuine smiles.  Buffy had seen a few, but none of the other Potentials had ever been graced with a proper smile.

"What else's she been saying 'bout me?" Faith asked with interest.

Buffy shot Ethan a look and he just grinned evilly back at her.  She groaned and buried her face in her hands, knowing that Ethan was about to tell Faith what she had written.

"Just that he'd never had a friend like you.  She'd never had a best friend before," he said.

Ethan watched as Faith struggled to keep her tears at bay.  He knew from Buffy's letter that Faith was a girl with a 'bad girl' attitude, stemmed probably from her lack of proper parental guidance.  He also knew that Buffy felt deeply about the older girl, more deeply than she had felt for any of the other Potentials over the years.  

Faith swallowed hard and looked at Buffy who was giving her a hesitant smile.  Faith stepped forward and pulled the blonde Potential out of Ethan's arms and into a warm embrace.  They'd never hugged before, and even though Buffy had spent the better part of the previous evening curled in a sobbing ball in Faith's arms, this was different.

"Same here B," Faith whispered.

Buffy smiled and when the hug broke, she was surprised to see tears in Faith's eyes.  There was a moment of awkward silence until Ethan jumped in.

"So…how'd training go this morning, Buffy?" he asked.

Darkness flashed through the young girls eyes, and Faith just shot a glare at Ethan.  He quickly remembered that there was something that he still didn't know about what had happened to reduce his fiery Slayer-to-be to tears.

"Buffy, what happened?" he asked again.

She stared at him with teary eyes and finally looked down, unable to handle the complete concern that was written in Ethan's eyes.

"Mr Miller, he…he uh…"

Ethan's eyes darkened, Faith watching with interest.  Buffy didn't even have to say anymore than that, and Ethan could already tell what he had done.

"Did he hurt you?" he asked.

Buffy shook her head tearfully.  "He tried…he didn't.  Faith, she…she stopped him."

Ethan shot Faith a thankful smile that she returned.  She was just grateful that she had got there in time.  She had heard Buffy's shriek purely by chance on her way to the bathroom.  Otherwise, there would have been no chance of Faith hearing her.  They were on opposite sides of the hallway with about five other rooms between them, a fact that they hated seeing as they were always in each others rooms after lights out.

"I'll kill him," Ethan said quietly.

"I don't think he's coming back," Faith told him.

He looked at her curiously.  "Why do you think that?"

She shrugged.  "Just a feeling I guess."

Ethan nodded, but quickly swore to himself that if Jeremiah Miller ever set foot on Council property again, he would kill the bastard without hesitation.  

Buffy sighed and looked at Faith.  "We'd better get back," she said.

Faith nodded and waited patiently for Buffy and Ethan to say there goodbyes.  Buffy handed him her letter, which he took gratefully.

"If he tries anything, you have to tell someone," he said before he let them head back.  "One of the trainers."

Buffy nodded obediently.  She knew, however, that if Jeremiah tried anything again, the Council would take his word over hers, especially Travers.  She felt better though, knowing that Ethan and Faith knew.  The two people she trusted more than anything.

Ethan bent down and kissed Buffy's forehead in a fatherly fashion and flashed Faith a smile.  "Thank you for taking such good care of her," he said.

"I didn't wanna leave her by herself," she said modestly.

Ethan winked at her.  "I didn't just mean today."

Faith smiled and nodded thankfully.  With a parting wave over his shoulder, Ethan left, leaving Buffy and Faith to make their way back towards where they had left the other Potentials.  

(I know the constant changing of her name 'Beth' to 'Buffy' is annoying, but it makes sense in context.  She's Beth when people are thinking that it is her name, and Buffy when she's around Faith and Ethan.  Hope it's not too confusing!)


	9. Beth

CHAPTER NINE: BETH

Saturday: 12:45pm

**26th October 1996**

**London: Watcher's Council**

Buffy stood in front of Ethan, tears in her eyes.  Ethan looked down at her, touching her cheek fondly.

"This isn't goodbye forever, you know," he whispered.

She nodded, fearful that if she spoke her voice would fail her.

"I'll still be able to come and see you.  You know that.  This doesn't change anything," he assured her.

"It changes everything," she whispered tearfully.

He gathered her into his arms.  

"I swear to you, wherever you end up, Ill come find you.  No matter how far away you are.  I'll always be able to find you," he whispered.

"And we can still send letters, right?" she asked.

He nodded and kissed the top of her head.  

"Of course we can," he replied. 

He relied on the weekly letters almost as much as she did.  He led a dreary life, running errands for whomever paid the most.  Buffy always enjoyed hearing about his adventures that took him all over the world.  He was always in London for the weekend though, no matter how well someone offered to pay him to work on a Saturday.  He refused to go if it meant he would miss his weekly meeting with the young girl.

"I wish you could be my Watcher," she whispered.

He smiled but didn't reply.

He had hoped against hope and prayed to every god that he knew that Buffy would never become a Slayer.  But, it wasn't to be.  She hadn't been Called yet, but Buffy had told him earlier that day that she would be Called tomorrow.  He didn't know how she knew, but she had been right every other time, so he knew better than to question it.

She was scared, petrified really.  Not only of leaving the Council and leaving behind Faith and Ethan, but of finally becoming the Slayer.  She knew that she had the skills to hunt vampires, but she also knew that no matter how well trained a Slayer was, death was always the outcome.  It was a lonely life that they were forced to lead.

She had mourned each Slayer's passing when the new Slayer's had been Called.  She had known the last five, known them quite well, and they had all died.  It was frightening knowing that Maddy would be dying sometime that evening and that there was nothing she could do about it.

She had made the mistake of telling one of the trainers about the fact that she knew that a new Slayer was going to be Called.  She had been worried about Laurie, the first Slayer she had really known before they had been Called.  She had felt within her soul when Laurie was about to die, and she had told one of the trainers in hope that they could prevent it.

The trainer, had, of course, told Mr Travers, who had quickly taught Buffy that she shouldn't be telling tall tales.  When the next Slayer, Alex, had been Called the next day, the trainer who she had told had immediately felt guilty about Buffy being beaten over it and had, since then, shied away from the girl, fearful of her precognition for predicting the Slayer's demises.

"You make sure that you're Watcher treats you with respect, you hear me?" Ethan said, his voice shaking.  It had been four years that they had been swapping letters, and he still hadn't been able to accept the fact that Travers regularly hit the tiny girl.  It had never sat well with him, but he honoured Buffy's wishes and never confronted Travers about it.  "If I hear about one bruise that isn't vampire or demon related, then your Watcher will be drawn and quartered."

Buffy giggled a little which was the response that Ethan had wanted.  He breathed in deeply and gave her a shaky smile.

"When you finally settle somewhere permanent, I'll find you," he said.

She nodded and looked up at him with innocent eyes.  He marvelled that her eyes hadn't really changed that much from when he had first met her.  She was still innocent, open and expressive.  The Council had tried to take it away from her, had tried to beat it out of her, and they had failed.  He truly admired the young girl for having the strength to face the Council and come out of it on top.

"Will you stay in London?" she asked.

He shrugged, not really knowing the answer to her question. 

"I'll be checking my mail at the address I gave you, but…I can't rightly say." 

"If I sent letters to Faith, could you get them to her?" she asked.

He nodded.  "I promise you."

She smiled and nestled back into his embrace.  She liked hugging him now that she was a little taller.  She still only came up to his mid-chest though.  

"I'm gonna miss you," she whispered.  "And our visits.  Even though they were never long enough…they made my week worth it.  It gave me a reason to get up in the mornings."

"And then Faith came," he whispered.

She nodded.  "I don't know how I'm meant to say goodbye to her," she confessed.

Ethan stroked Buffy's hair and looked down at her, gently touching her chin to tilt her head upwards to meet his gaze.

"You'll find a way.  Just tell her the truth.  And make sure she knows that she's your best friend," he said.

Buffy nodded and lost herself in his hug, not wanting to end their meeting.  She knew that she would have to leave soon though.  It wouldn't do to finally be caught with Ethan on their last meeting.  Irony just wasn't as funny when you paid for it with cane strokes across your back.

Ethan pulled back and kissed her forehead one last time.

"You'll do brilliantly Buffy.  Just remember what you're fighting for," he whispered.

"And what's that?"

"For the people you love.  For Faith and for the other Potentials.  To keep them from being Slayers," he said.

"And for you," she added.

He grinned and touched her nose playfully.  "I didn't want to be presumptuous."

She laughed and threw her arms around his neck, kissing his cheek.  "You know I love you Ethan."

He nodded and stepped back from her.  "My whole life, I've only ever loved two people.  You are most definitely one of them."

She smiled.  "You'll tell me about him one day, won't you?  Ripper, I mean."

Ethan's eyes went wide and Buffy held back a grin, biting her lip.

"How did you know that?" he asked.

He had mentioned his old friend Ripper in his letters to her, but he had never implied the close bond they had shared.  He hadn't ever told her that Ripper was now a member of Council.  

She just shrugged and gave him a cheeky smile.  "I just know these things."  

He rolled his eyes and watched her walk away, a heaviness settling in his heart as he realised that he had seen her as Potential for the last time.  The next time they met, she would finally be the Slayer.

------------------------

"It's happening tonight, isn't it?" Faith asked, sprawled out on her bed, Buffy sitting at the head with her back against the wall.  It was close to ten o'clock, the official lights out time for the Potentials older than fifteen.  They had hated that rule the previous year when Faith had been fifteen and Buffy had been fourteen.  They had broken it regardless, but they both felt safer knowing that they weren't breaking any rules that would lead to harsh punishments.

"You can feel it too, huh?" Buffy asked.

Faith nodded and chewed on the end of her pen thoughtfully.

"Who do you reckon it'll be?" Faith asked.  

Buffy didn't answer.  She hadn't told Faith that she already knew that come tomorrow, she would no longer be Beth Summers, the Potential, she would be Beth, The Vampire Slayer.  She hadn't wanted to worry Faith, and she certainly hadn't wanted to make things strained between them.  Her friendship with Faith was one of the three most precious things in the world to her.  (The others being Ethan and Mr Gordo of course)

"I'm thinking it might be Kelsie.  She'd be a good Slayer," Faith said, oblivious to Buffy's quietness.  

Faith rolled onto her back and sat up, leaning against the wall, hugging a pillow in front of her.

"It'd suck if it was one of us, hey?" Faith said suddenly.  Buffy closed her eyes and swallowed hard, and Faith continued obliviously.

"I swear, I'm hoping it'll pass both of us by.  I've only got another fifteen and a half months in this hell-hole, then I'm so outta here."

Buffy swallowed hard.  That was one good thing about knowing that she was going to be Called.  Faith would be safe.  The problem was, Buffy didn't know when she was going to die.  She knew that Faith wasn't next though, which was a comfort to her.  Buffy also knew that the girl between herself and Faith was the same age as Buffy, which meant that Faith would turn eighteen first, making it so that she could never be Called.  Buffy would have to remain the Slayer for two years before Faith was no longer a Potential, and three years before Kendra was free as well.

After Faith though, the next Slayer would be Chloe, a girl who was only eleven, four years younger than Buffy and five years younger than Faith.  Buffy knew that Chloe would be a Slayer, no matter how hard she tried to prevent it.   Buffy knew that she wouldn't last seven years.  The longest any Slayer had lasted had been five and a half years, and she had been Called at fourteen.  She'd died just before her twentieth birthday.  The oldest Slayer in history had been twenty-one, having being Called at seventeen, lasting only four years.  

"What are you gonna do when you get outta here, B?" Faith asked.

Buffy loved Faith's positive outlook on life.  Faith hadn't ever really considered being Called as the Slayer.  She was here to do her time, and then get out.  But Buffy had known since she was eleven that she _would _be a Slayer one day.  

Buffy gave the older girl a small smile and leant back against the wall on her side of the bed.

"I'm not getting out of here Faith," she replied.

Faith's eyes narrowed in confusion.  "What're you talkin' about?"

Buffy shrugged and hugged Mr Gordo tightly to her chest.  He had been in Faith's room since the night before, Buffy giving him to Faith to cheer her up after she had been scolded in a lesson for not having a spare pen when hers had run out.  Buffy breathed in deeply and prepared to be yelled at from Faith.

"I know who's gonna be Called."

Faith felt her heart drop.  She could tell by Buffy's tone of voice what the young girl's next words were going to be.  She shook her head, trying to deny what Buffy still had yet to tell her.

"No.  No, not you."

Buffy nodded.  "I'm sorry."

Faith just continued to shake her head.  She hopped off the bed and began pacing frantically.  She had always known deep inside that Buffy would be Called.  She hadn't wanted it to happen, but she knew that whomever did the choosing for the Chosen would be nuts to not choose Buffy as a Slayer.  She was the best and had been for years.

"Maybe you're wrong," Faith said.  "Maybe it'll pass you by.  We could…we could get Ethan to do a spell or something…"

The nervousness was making her ramble, something that Buffy had become used to in the last two years of their friendship.

"Faith-"

"No!  I refuse to accept that!  There's…there's gotta be another way."

"Faith-"

"And how the hell do you know anyway?  Not even Travers knows who it's gonna be next.  You can't be sure-"

"I'm sure."

Faith stopped and looked at her friend, tears in her eyes.  

"I don't want it to be you, B," she whispered.  "I don't want you to die."

Buffy wanted to reassure her, to tell her that she would be fine, that she wasn't going to die.  But she knew that the words would be just that; words.  They would be meaningless, because Slayers died.  It's what they did.

Buffy just looked down at her hands, surprised to see them shaking.  Faith followed her gaze and stepped forward taking one of Buffy's hands in hers.

"What am I meant to do without you?" she asked quietly.

Buffy looked up and tried to hold back her own tears.

"You have to take care of Chloe," Buffy said quietly.  "You have to teach her."

Faith bit her lip.  "She's next?  She's just a kid."

Buffy shook her head.  "She's not next exactly.  But I'm gonna make it that way."

Faith looked at Buffy in complete confusion.  "What are you on about B?"

"Do you trust me?" Buffy asked seriously.

Faith just looked at her strangely, wondering what sort of a question it was.  Buffy was the only person that Faith had _ever_ trusted, and Buffy knew that.  Or so Faith thought.  She'd never told Buffy that out loud.

"You know the answer to that," Faith replied.

"Yes or no.  Do you trust me?"

"Yes."

"When I was eleven, I knew who was gonna be Called.  Six months later, I knew again.  I've predicted five callings, and I know who the next five after me are gonna be."

Faith felt her mouth go dry.  No one had ever known who was going to be Called, so she didn't know whether or not to believe what Buffy was telling her.  But, Buffy had trusted her with this, and she would give her friend the benefit of the doubt. 

"There's a girl, a Jamaican girl by the name Kendra.  She's the Slayer after me.  And after Kendra, is you," Buffy said gently.

Faith looked stricken at the thought.  She'd never wanted to be a Slayer.  She loved the training, loved sparring with the Potentials, she even enjoyed a lot of the lessons about demons, but being Called was a completely different matter.

"Me?"

"I'm gonna make sure it doesn't happen," Buffy said.  "I swear to you, I won't let it come to that."

"You think I couldn't hack it?" Faith asked, anger tinging her voice.

Buffy rolled her eyes.  

"Do you really think I could _ever_ think that of you Faith?"

Faith sighed.  "Sorry B."

Buffy gave her a small smile.  "You know what I think about your fighting.  You're amazing, Fai.  You're one of the only people who can take me down."

Faith nodded, knowing that her friend wasn't just saying that to make her feel better.  It was the truth.

"I don't want you to be the Slayer, cos I know how much you want out of this place.  You've been counting down until you get out for months.  And you've only got fifteen months left, and then you can do whatever you want with your life.  And I'm gonna make sure the same goes for Kendra.  But I can't do that for Chloe, so I need you to take care of her.  But she can't know that it'll be her.  It's horrible knowing it.  Just help her," Buffy said.

Faith nodded, grateful that she would at least have some sort of a focus.  

"When I get outta here, I'm tracking you down though," Faith promised.  

Buffy grinned and the girls finally hugged tightly.  "You'd better."

There was a knock at the door and a voice calling 'lights out'.  Buffy wiped tears from her eyes and tried to muster up a smile for her friend.

"I guess this is goodbye," Faith said sadly.

"Not good-bye.  Just 'see you later'." Buffy said.

Faith nodded and bit her lip to keep from crying.  Buffy hesitated a moment longer before pushing the small pink pig into Faith's hands.

"To remember me by." 

While Faith looked at her in shock, Buffy slipped out the door towards her own room, mentally preparing herself for another sleepless night.  Faith could only stare at the small stuffed animal in her hands and try her hardest not to cry.


	10. Giles

CHAPTER TEN: GILES  
  


**Sunday: 2pm**

**27th October 1996**

**London: Watcher's Council**

It hit her at about eleven in the morning, a feeling of sudden power rushing through her.  It was a heady feeling, one that she had had to try hard to contain.  Two minutes after it had hit her, Travers had knocked on the door to her room and told her to follow him.  For the first time, she hadn't been afraid of him.  She had finally felt something close to peace.  

Perhaps it was just because she knew that he wasn't punishing her, only letting her know of her new status as Slayer.  She had followed him and his two Council lackeys, both females, towards the Oak Room, where all the official Watcher's business was conducted.

She was told to sit outside a meeting room, and had obediently done so.  She'd been sitting there for three hours when the doors had finally opened, and Travers had come out, looking stern as ever, followed by another man who looked to be in his early forties.  He had gentle green eyes and looked extremely nervous about something. 

Travers glared at the girl and she stood, knowing that she was required to show him respect by not sitting in his presence.

"Miss Summers," Travers said coldly.  "You have been Called as the next Slayer."

Beth just nodded, knowing that if she opened her mouth she would only mock the older British man, and she didn't really feel like being on the receiving end of the cane.

"This is your Watcher, Rupert Giles," he introduced.  "Rupert, your Slayer, Beth Summers."

Beth gave him a small half-smile and shook the man's hand.  It was surprisingly warm, gentle.  She gave him a genuine smile when she realised that this man reminded her of Ethan.

Travers fairly shook with disgust.  He hadn't wanted Beth Summers to be Called as a Slayer, although, it meant he would be getting rid of her from the Council property three years early.  That and it had solved another problem for him.

Rupert Giles was a Watcher who had given the Council a bad name many years ago by trying to run away from his destiny as a Watcher.  He had quit his university education when he was twenty-one, and had proceeded to run around with riff-raff, specifically with Ethan Rayne.  Travers hated Giles far more than he hated Ethan, because Ethan could be bought.  Giles had morals, which had surprised Travers considerably.  

Giles believed in the Slayers, rather than in the Council itself.  He believed that Slayer were more than just weapons, they were girls, women.  It was theories like Giles' that got Slayers killed easily, and when the Council board had informed Travers that Giles was back within the Council, Travers had sworn that the only active Slayer that Giles would ever watch over was one that Travers wanted to see dead.  Beth Summers, therefore, was the 'perfect' Slayer for the 'perfect' Watcher.

Travers grinned evilly, and gave a parting 'smile' to both Watcher and Slayer.  Beth just rolled her eyes after him, a gesture that Giles caught and tried not to laugh at.  Travers had informed him that this new Slayer was headstrong and arrogant, two features that Travers hadn't been able to discourage her from, no matter how many times he had tried.

Beth looked up at Giles hesitantly.

"What happens now sir?" she asked quietly.

Giles smiled at her kindly.  "Well, I suppose first I have to tell you that I don't want you calling me sir.  Giles, or Mr Giles is fine, Miss Summers."

"Beth," she whispered.  She was nervous.  She hadn't been alone with a male besides Ethan since the incident with Jeremiah Miller, and even though that had been over three months ago, she was still a little skittish.

"Pardon?" Giles asked, not having heard her.

She looked up at him and tried again.  "My name is Beth, Mr Giles.  Or Buffy.  Unless…I mean…unless you'd prefer the Miss Summers thing."

Giles shook his head.  "Beth then," he said.

She breathed a sigh of relief.  She could only hope that Giles wouldn't discipline her like Travers did.  If her plan to stay alive meant letting her Watcher treat her horribly for three years, she would have to think of a solid Plan B.

"Well, I suppose we'd better head out.  There's a car waiting for us."

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"Ireland for now," he replied.  "The Council's heard of some unusual demonic activity, and they wish for us to scout around.  After that, we'll be sent where we are needed."

Beth nodded and followed the man, keeping a few paces behind him as Travers had always made her.  He slowed down to let her catch up with him, but soon realised that it wasn't as though she was unable to keep up, it was that she was deliberately staying behind.  He stopped and watched as she stopped as well, her head bowed.

His eyes narrowed.  He'd heard rumours from one of the trainers about Travers treatment of this particular girl, and he had always been inclined not to believe them.  Now, he was beginning to wonder.

"You can walk beside me you know," he said gently.

She looked at him and just nodded silently.  They continued walking, Beth aware of the silence that hung between them.  She didn't like being that close to him, she could feel the heat from his body, and it was making her uncomfortable.  She hoped he didn't notice. 

They got to the front of the building and Beth looked nervously at the black car that waited for them.  Sucking in deeply, she cast one last look at the building that had held her captive for the last ten years and silently said goodbye to the life she had known, and, until recently, had hated.

Giles opened the door for her, and she quickly rushed past him, settling herself as far onto the other side of the car as she could manage.  Giles looked at her strangely, but didn't comment on it.  The ride to the airport was silent, Giles wanting to say something to the young girl, but, knowing that he didn't know what to say, he kept his mouth closed.  Beth did much the same thing.

------------------------

She hadn't been on a plane since she had been taken to England so many years ago, and the feel of the turbulence beneath the wings of the plane was making her nervous.  Giles noticed that she was wringing her hands nervously, or, alternately, clutching the seat in terror.

He smiled a little and looked towards her.

"You don't like flying?" he asked kindly.

She looked at him, startled that he had spoken to her about something non-slayage related.  She had assumed that the man was one of Travers followers who had been given the position that Travers could no longer fulfil, a dictator out to completely ruin Beth's life.

"I haven't flown since I was little.  Not since I came to England," she replied.

"How long ago was that?" he asked.

"I was five then," she replied.

He nodded, not entirely sure what to say.  He hated how the Potential Slayers were treated, despised how they were taken from their families, sometimes without their parents knowledge and brought up to be the perfect killing machines.  The Council's methods were barbaric, but Giles also understood that it was for the greater good.  It still wasn't fair to the individual girls who were forced to live such a life.

"And you've enjoyed your training to become a Slayer?" he asked, trying to make conversation.

"Yes, of course," she replied, lying through her teeth. It was the answer that Travers had always demanded of her whenever he had asked her the same question.  Travers had been content to hear the lie, as long as she answered yes, but Giles saw through it for what it was.

"And you're real answer to that question?"

Beth went bright red and bit her lip.  She looked up at him and saw gentleness in his eyes that she hadn't been expecting.  He really did remind her of Ethan.

"Uh…well, it wasn't _always_ bad," she admitted.  

He smiled at the answer.  He understood the sentiment.  He had never wanted to become a Watcher either, but now that he was here, he wanted to do his best.

"Did you want to be Called?"

She gave him a sardonic smile.  "It didn't matter what I wanted." 

He cocked his head to the side curiously.  He wondered how someone so young could understand the ways of Watchers and Slayers when he himself still had trouble.  

"That's true enough I suppose," he said.  

He could tell that she didn't trust him.  She looked almost frightened of him, which was a strange quality to see in a Slayer.  He supposed that it would seem incredibly intimidating to her.  But, she had been training for this since she was five, and now the time had come.  He just didn't like that she didn't trust him.  Then again, she didn't really know him.  He endeavoured to fix that.

"I didn't really want to be a Watcher, either," he admitted.

She looked at him curiously.  She hadn't been expecting him to offer anything so personal about himself.  

"Why become one then?" she asked, speaking before thinking.  Her eyes went wide as she registered that she had spoken.  She swallowed hard, preparing herself for a Travers-like hit.

Giles hadn't noticed the way she had tensed, enjoying her simple way of thinking.  

"That's a rather good question," he said quietly.

"I'm sorry s-sir.  I shouldn't h-have asked it," she said hurriedly.

He was silent for a moment while Beth was silently having a panic attack.  Without looking at her, he began answering.

"I was ten when I found out I was to be a Watcher.  I didn't understand it, but my father was adamant that I begin my training.  I hated it.  I wanted to play cricket and rugby with the other boys.  Instead, I studied demons.  I went to Oxford when I was eighteen, studying ancient history and mythology," he said.  His voice was quiet, lost in memories.

"Couldn't you have quit?" she asked quietly.

He turned to look at her, a smile playing at his lips.  "I did quit.  I dropped out at twenty one and went to London.  I found my way into a gang and…bad things happened.  I came back to the Council and began studying again.  Then I was assigned to be your Watcher."

She looked at him, taking in his attire, a three-piece tweed suit and his proper British accent.  She smiled a little.

"With all due respect sir, I can't imagine you in a gang," she told him.

He laughed aloud at that, startling her.  She bit her lip to keep herself from grinning.  She made a mental note to make him laugh more often.

"No, I can't imagine myself in one nowadays.  And I can assure you I didn't always speak like this," he said.  "Was always a bi' more like this.  In t'real world, you speak like I was, you'd be called a right bloody toff.  Wouldn't be too far off neither."

She giggled a little and he couldn't help but be enchanted by the girl.  He'd met other Slayers when they had only just been Called.  They were usually by-the-book Slayers who followed orders.  He could tell that Beth was a bright young girl with a lively imagination.  

He went to say something more to her, but was tapped on the shoulder by a flight attendant.

"We'll be landing in a moment sir," she informed him.

He nodded his thanks and turned back to Beth.

"I think your seat will be rather glad when we get off the plane," he said to her, gesturing to her death grip on the arm rests.  

She grinned sheepishly but still clung stubbornly to the armrests.  She was beginning to like this man, her Watcher.  She could only hope that when she began her slaying duties she wouldn't upset him or make him become like Travers.  She could tell he would make a good ally, and probably a good friend as well.

As the plane landed, Beth could only take a deep breath and hope that her life as a Slayer would be a long one.

Big thanks to Dawn (editcat) for correcting me on Giles' age on when he shoulda been at Uni!!


	11. Patrick

CHAPTER ELEVEN: PATRICK

Saturday: 6pm 

**9th November 1996**

**Ireland: St Matthew's Church**

The first month in Ireland had been hectic to say the least.  She and Giles had settled into a small cottage on the outside of a small country town, posing as Uncle and niece so that the villagers wouldn't think that they were in a romantic relationship of any sort.  When they had settled into the quiet cottage, Giles had taken her into the village to buy clothing, which she had been reluctant to do at first.  He had explained that the money was the Council's and that she needed warmer clothing for the night air when she went patrolling.  She had given in eventually and gone with him.

She'd never had new clothing before, only the drab clothes that the Council had provided all the Potentials with, consisting of sweats mostly, seeing as they were always training.  They all wore black pants or skirts to class with a pale blue cotton blouse on top.  In winter, they were given warmer clothes that were just as drab.

When Giles had taken her to the small stores to buy clothes, she had been astounded by the range of items.  Giles had seen the look of wonder in her eyes and told her that she could have anything within reason, as long as it would be suitable for slaying.

She had bought jeans and slacks and t-shirts and jumpers as well as a warm jacket.  Giles noticed the way she had been eyeing off a gorgeous black leather half-length coat, but had reluctantly walked away from it.  When she had been busy trying on a pair of slacks, Giles had taken the coat in the size he knew was hers and paid for it, putting it quickly beneath some of Beth's other purchases.  He smiled knowing that the gift would bring a smile to her face, something he liked seeing.

He had given it to her the night before her first patrol.  It had been gift-wrapped, and she had taken it timidly from him, not used to being given gifts.  Ethan had given her small trinkets all the time, but this beautifully wrapped gift was a mystery to her.

She unwrapped it carefully and pulled out the coat, her eyes going wide as she saw what it was.  She looked up at him with a smile on her face.  For moments, she was struck speechless, until she finally found her tongue and thanked him profusely.

He had grinned shyly and told her that she was welcome.  He had then passed her two stakes, a cross and a crossbow with an attachable strap and told her that they should get going.

That had been two weeks ago.  Beth had, at first, begun making a tally of how many vampires she killed.  After the third night, she lost count and had worked out that it didn't matter how many she killed, as long as she did it.  

Giles had been surprised by how well the girl fought.  He had seen a few sparring sessions with the other Potentials, but he had never really seen a Slayer fight like Beth fought.  It was a combination of the martial arts that the Potentials were taught, as well as street fighting and all out brawling.  When he had asked who had taught her, he noticed that a flash of pain went through her eyes, and she had shrunk back from him.  "No one."

He had left it at that, not wanting to completely put her back into the shell she had been in the first days when she was around him.  

Now, Beth was doing brilliantly, Giles thought.  She was a bright girl, and she hadn't been injured so far on patrols, except for a few bruises.  Nothing serious had happened.  Beth knew that she was pushing her luck and that it would happen one day, she had just hoped it to be on a far away day.

She was fighting a group of vampires that had been snacking in the centre of town, Giles watching from a safe distance.  He was protected himself with a stake and cross, and Beth knew that he was able to use them and use them well.  She had seen him stake one vampire the previous week when said vampire had tried to sneak up on him while he had been watching his Slayer fight.

She was currently battling four vampires, all of whom had mocked her stature in a thick Irish brogue which she had had trouble understanding.  She had just shrugged and had begun to fight with them.  They had originally had six members to the gang, but they were quickly dwindling. 

She staked another vamp and delivered a roundhouse kick to the head of one behind her, sending him crashing into another one.  She took advantage of the third vamps distraction when his head turned to look at his two fallen companions, and thrust her stake into his heart.  Two left.

She grabbed the vamp that she had kicked by his collar and gave him a swift left hook followed by an uppercut to his jaw.  He retaliated and kicked her stomach, sending her stumbling backwards into the waiting arms of the second vampire.  She turned quickly and staked the vamp behind her, leaving her with one.  A surprise kick to her back sent her crashing to the ground.  She shifted her weight to her hands and flipped herself so that she was standing once more.

She backhanded the one remaining vampire who caught her wrist and yanked her towards him.  She struggled for a moment and finally head-butted him, sending them both away from each other.  The vamp growled angrily.

"What are you growling for?" she asked, surprised to find a smile tugging on her face.  "Your friends are all dead, and you're gonna join 'em soon enough.  I'd have thought you'd be a bit happier."

The vamp lunged towards her, and she sidestepped him.  In a flash, the vamp suddenly had the upper-hand.  She didn't know how it had happened, but he had her in a head and arm lock.  Giles began racing towards them, stake at the ready.  In a move so quick that neither Beth nor Giles saw, the vamp had removed a dagger from his back pocket and had thrust it into Beth's back, beneath her jacket.  

Beth gasped loudly and fell to her knees as the vamp turned tail and ran.  Giles quickly picked up Beth's discarded crossbow and aimed at the feeling vamp, shooting towards him.  He nearly yelled in triumph as the crossbow bolt hit its mark and the vamp turned to dust.

Giles knelt beside his Slayer, the dagger still buried in her back.  He looked around frantically, seeing if there were any people passing by.  There was no one around.  His eyes stopped on a church building that still had a light inside.  With haste, he picked Beth up in his arms, surprised at how light she was and carried her towards the building.

"You'll be alright," he whispered comfortingly.

She just bit her lip to keep from crying out, her back protesting at the constant jostling.  

Giles kicked the door open and went inside, knowing that at least the vamps wouldn't come in here.  He quickly sat her on a pew, looking around frantically for something to stop the bleeding.

He was startled when someone tapped his shoulder and handed him a first aid kit.  Giles looked at the other man, startled.  The other man just smiled and indicated towards Buffy who was beginning to go pale from blood loss.

"I'll find her some juice, shall I?" the man asked.

Giles just nodded and sat beside Beth, taking the jacket from her shoulders and staring at the growing red stain on her shirt.  He winced in sympathy as he realised how serious the wound was.

The other man came back, holding a glass of orange juice.  He handed it to Beth who took it gratefully, trying not to spill any.  Her hands were shaking horribly, the left-over adrenaline combining with the mind-numbing fear to make her body have a mind of its own.

The man sat on her other side and touched her free hand gently.

"The Lord will protect you, child," he said trying to assure her.  "You are one of his Chosen."

She looked up at him startled and finally noticed that he was a priest.

"How do you know what I am?" she asked, her voice shaky.  She breathed in sharply as she felt Giles fingers touch near the wound.

"I can see it written over you," he replied.  "You must learn to wear it with pride though. Pride and humility so you don't begin to think yourself better than others.  That will only lead you to arrogance and self-assurance when your assurance lies with your Watcher."

Beth nodded, wanting him to keep talking.  His quiet voice and accent were lulling to her and she wished to concentrate on anything besides the pain in her back.

"Father, is there a hospital nearby?" Giles asked.

The priest just smiled gently and shook his head.  "You don't need a hospital to heal this girl.  She is special."

Giles looked at the man frantically.  "She needs help."

"Yes," he agreed.  "She does."

The priest moved Giles' hands away from the wound and Giles could only watch in fear as the man touched the angry skin surrounding the blade still buried in her back.  Giles watched in amazement as Beth relaxed under the Father's touch.  

The priest closed his eyes and with great gentleness pulled the dagger from Beth's back.  Giles went to protest, but he kept silent when he saw the priest's mouth moving in silent prayer.  Giles could only begin his own praying, something he hadn't done since he was a boy.

To say that Giles was shocked when Buffy sat up looking completely healed was an understatement.  He was tempted to throw his arms around the young girl in celebration, but he settled for a smile and a light touch to Beth's hand.  She squeezed his hand gently in silent thanks for his concern.

Beth looked towards the man who had healed her with wonder in her eyes.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"Do not thank me," he replied humbly.  He pointed heavenward.  "Thank Him."

She looked up and said a silent prayer of thanks.  She knew that something wonderful had just happened, and she wasn't about to take it for granted.

He smiled at her and went to stand up.

"Wait," she said.  "Who are you?"

He smiled and gently patted the hand that had come up to stop him from leaving.

"I am Father Patrick.  Or Father Pat to the children," he said.

"It's nice to meet you Father Pat," she said.

He smiled and let go of her hand.  "And you, dear child." He looked towards Giles and gave him a small smile as well.  "Take care of her, Rupert.  You're young Beth has a heavy burden to carry.  Make sure she doesn't carry it alone."

"You have my word," Giles replied.

Father Pat nodded and walked away, leaving Beth and Giles to sit in the church and wonder how they had happened upon a miracle.

------------------------

Sunday: 10am 

**10th November 1996**

**Ireland: Giles' Cottage**

Giles awoke to find Beth sitting at the kitchen counter sipping on a glass of water.  He gave her a smile and went about making himself breakfast.  He set a cup of tea in front of the young Slayer who smiled at him gratefully.  In the years in England as a Potential, she had always enjoyed drinking tea, mainly because there was hardly anything else.  Faith had never understood how she could drink the 'godawful stuff'.

"How's your back?" he asked.

She shrugged a little and took a sip of the tea, burning her tongue slightly.  

"S'alright.  Kinda itches," she admitted.

He moved to stand behind her and touched the bottom of her shirt.  He was startled when the girl shot out of the chair and was on the other side of the room before he had a chance to realise what had happened.  He looked at her in confusion, surprised to see her shaking a little.

"I'm sorry," he said quickly, wondering what he had done to upset her so much.

"It's okay," she said, her voice a little breathless.  "My back's fine though.  Don't worry about it."

"I'd really like to see it," he said, his brows furrowing together in consternation.  "What happened last night was nothing short of a miracle."

Beth shifted her weight from foot-to-foot nervously.  She walked back towards him, eyeing him warily.  He'd given no indication that he couldn't be trusted, but neither had Jeremiah Miller.  He stepped forward slowly, as one would when approaching a frightened tiger.  Beth Summers may have looked meek and innocent, but Giles had seen this girl fight.  He knew that if it came down to it, Beth could easily knock him to the ground any day.

She turned from him and lifted the corner of her shirt so that Giles could get a look at her back.

He knelt down so that he could see it better, his fingers gently probing the skin.  There was only a tiny scar that looked as though it had been healing for years.  He went to put the shirt down but another mark on her skin jumped out at him.  He lifted the other half of her shirt and felt bile rise up in his throat as he saw the hundreds of scars running across her back.

"What happened to your back?" he asked quietly, almost fearing the answer.

She jumped away from him again, having forgotten about the scars.  In the five weeks she had been living with Giles, he hadn't hit her even once, and she was slowly repressing the memories of Travers' beating her.  The scars that had adorned her back since she was little had become natural to her, and she had forgotten that other people would react to them as Giles just had.

She faced him and looked down at him, seeing him still on his knees.  She tried to keep her breathing even as she turned away from him and ran to her room, shutting the door behind her and sliding down to sit against it so it couldn't be opened.

Giles stood up and moved back to the kitchen, his hands shaking with anger.  The rumours that he hadn't wanted to believe about Travers' treatment of Beth Summers had all but been confirmed by the sight of her back.  He couldn't understand how someone could want to hit such a bright and lively young girl.  

Giles closed his eyes and leant against the counter, wondering whether Beth didn't trust him because of what Travers had done to her, or because of something else.  He had noticed that she wouldn't let him into her bedroom, and that she would sit with at least six inches between them if she could.  She would back away if he reached out to touch her, though more frequently she was touching him.  She didn't mind him touching her if she had made the first move though.

He could only wait until she approached him and made him understand exactly what she had gone through to make her so edgy when she was around him.  Until then, he would just have to approach her with caution.  He swore to himself that no matter what, no matter how much she ever antagonised him, he would never raise his fist to her in anger.  She had already had enough to last her for three or four lifetimes from Travers.  All he could do was offer her his support and his respect.

------------------------

**Sunday: 1pm**

**10th November 1996**

**Ireland: St Matthew's Church**

Beth had crept out of the cottage without Giles noticing and had gone into the village, desperately needing to get out of the small house.  She couldn't understand what was wrong with her, but she knew that if anyone could help, it would be Father Pat.  He had seen her for only ten minutes the night before and had told her things that no one else should have known.

She entered the church quietly, finding it mostly empty except for a few individuals kneeling in the pews, their heads bowed.  She looked around, trying to find him when she felt a tap on her shoulder.  She turned, almost expecting it to be Giles come to scold her for leaving without letting him know where she was going.

"Father Pat," she whispered as she turned to see the priest behind her.

"I wondered if I would be seeing you again, young Beth," he said with a smile.

She returned the smile half-heartedly and let him guide her to the pew that she had occupied the previous night when she had been bleeding half to death.

"You've come to ask about your relationship with your Watcher, yes?" he asked.

She nodded and sat down beside him.

"He's a good man," he told her.

"I know," she whispered.  

"Yet you don't trust him.  Not fully."

She shook her head.  

Father Pat took her hand in his and looked into her eyes.

"You've been hurt by a man you trusted, yes?  He tried to do something to you, something that you didn't wish to happen."

"Yes," she replied quietly.

"There is another man, someone you consider to be a father to you.  You trust him implicitly," he said.  "Yet you won't trust your Watcher?"

"I think I've lost my faith where the Council is concerned," she admitted.

"Tell me Beth, why do you trust this other man, the one you think of as a father?" he asked.

"I've known him for years.  He's never hurt me," she answered.

"Is there another reason as well?" Father Pat said.

Beth looked at him in confusion.  "I don't understand what you mean."

"I mean, dear child, that you believe your father figure won't hurt you because he loves another man.  So you think he wouldn't wish to be with a woman in that same sense," he explained.  "And, in your own way, you trust me because I am a man devoted to God and sworn to a life of abstinence."

Beth's eyes went wide.  There was truth to Father Pat's statement.  She had known for years that Ethan was in love with another man, and while it had thrown her at first, she had accepted that it was part of who he was, and as long as Ethan was happy about it, then so was she.  And, some part of her subconscious had told her that Ethan wasn't going to expect anything of her because he didn't see women in that sense.

"How do you know all of this?" she asked quietly.

"You are quite easy to read, dear girl," he answered.  "I'm gifted with understanding people, particularly the Chosen.  You are not only Chosen, but you wear your heart on your sleeve."

"Is that bad?" she asked.

He laughed a little and squeezed the girls hand.  "No, it's not bad at all.  People are drawn to you, are they not?"

She shrugged.  "I guess so.  The others always seemed to like me.  Well, the teachers didn't so much, but…the other girls seemed to."

He nodded and gave her a smile.  "You're an open person and people like to see that.  You have a world of strength within you, and I'm not just speaking about being the Chosen One.  You, Beth Summers, have strength within yourself.  And you need to confront your fears."

"How do I do that?" she asked nervously.

"You have to trust him.  You need to see past the fact that he is part of the Council and recognise that above all things, he is a man with the exact same hopes and fears as yourself.  You need to learn to trust him with everything.  You and he are bonded in a way that no other normal person can understand.  As a Watcher and Slayer, you have to be able to trust each other.  Which means that you have to let him into your life.  And you also have to earn his trust," he said.  "Which means that you shouldn't be sneaking out without telling him where you're going."

She smiled sheepishly and nodded.  She wiped tears from her eyes and stood up.

He slipped a small box into her hands and watched as she opened it.  She gasped when she saw a beautiful silver Celtic cross.

"What's this for Father?"

"It belonged to another such as yourself," he explained.  "A young girl named Laurette."

"Laurie?"

He nodded.  "She told me about you, dear child.  She worried that you would become a Slayer.  She asked me to give this to the next Slayer that I met.  She had hopes that it would be you that received her cross.  It was a gift from her Watcher to her.  So that it would help her remember that a Watcher is always there for her, guarding over her."

"Thank you Father Pat," she whispered.

"You're welcome.  Don't hesitate to come here if you need help.  This is what I'm here for.  That's what you're here for as well.  To help those who need to be helped."

She nodded and headed back towards the cottage, mentally preparing herself to finally accept and trust her Watcher in a way that she hadn't trusted anyone except Faith and Ethan.  It would be hard, but she silently swore to herself that she would do it.

In answer to some questions that I've been getting in reviews and in emails:

Everyone seems to want to know who Beth/Buffy is going to end up with.  This fic was written with the intention of being non-ship specific, BUT when I was writing it, it worked REALLY well if I wrote a few chapters that WERE kinda shippy.   Before you panic and think, NOOOO, I HATE that 'ship…just keep reading.

This WILL get confusing, BUT…I'm hoping that it will work anyway.  

This version here is non-shippy.  It will continue to be because I don't want people to stop reading cos they don't like my pairing.  And most ppl don't, cos I'm a B/Ger at heart. 

I will be posting alternate chapters for the people who prefer shippy goodness.  They will only be standalones, and they won't have any relevance to the fic in itself, it's just to show what could have happened…  These won't occur until about chapter thirty or so, so…you're gonna hafta be pretty patient.

I can guarantee there will be: B/A, B/G and B/S.  A few people have asked for B/X and I'm working on one now.  

I won't write slash, sorry to disappoint.  So, B/F won't play into it at all.  Slight subtext but nothing full-on.  I'm pretty open to any other ships if ppl wanna see em.  I'm not big on writing for other characters in a main way (ie Wilow and Xander) They feature, but not as main characters…dunno why that is…just is…

Anyways, thank you soooo much for your reviews and emails!  You're really helping me out here!

Toodles.

K.


	12. Dimitri

For some reason, this is my favouritest chapter…no idea why…feedback is always appreciated!!  Everyone who has reviewed/emailed you're all wonderful ppl!!!

CHAPTER TWELVE: DIMITRI

**Thursday: 10pm**

**22nd May 1997**

**Russia: St Petersburg**

They'd been in Russia for nearly two months now, and Beth _hated_ it.  They'd left Ireland where she'd been perfectly content and travelled to the freezing climates of St Petersburg.  The only redeeming feature of the move had been another shopping expenditure.  

She knew that they weren't going to be in Russia for very long, which was a good thing seeing as she couldn't speak the language.  Giles could speak it moderately well, but he still struggled to speak it fluently.  Beth hated it because she couldn't taunt the vamps and have them understand her, and she couldn't understand them which gave them a distinct advantage.

She'd started patrolling alone four months ago, reporting to Giles on her daily kills.  She found that she preferred going alone as it meant she could take things as slowly or as quickly as she wanted to without having to follow any orders.  It was surprisingly liberating for her, even though she was still stuck in the confines of being the Slayer.  

It was cold, wet and snowing when she went on patrols, and she had to wonder what vampire in their right mind would go out in blizzards.  The insane kind was usually the answer.  She went into restaurants to scout for vampires, having a sixth sense for recognising them even when they weren't in game face.  She could always feel when a vampire was near because of a tingling on the back of her neck and a cramping feeling in the pits of her stomach.  Giles had been teaching her to hone her senses to pinpoint exactly where a vampire was in a crowded room, something which she had excelled at.

She entered the small restaurant, grateful to get out of the cold.  She could feel several vampires in the room with her, most of them sitting at the bar.  Vampires were incredibly predictable, something that she was immensely grateful for.  They would try and pick up a meal at the bar with their chosen victim thinking they were merely being hit on.  

Beth had learned to use that predictability to her advantage and often sat at the bar to gain attention from the vampires.  It had been easier in Ireland when she had understood what they were saying, even though the accents were thick.  Here in Russia, she was flying blind.  It still worked though.  Most vamps didn't mind her not being able to speak the language, as long as she took their hand when it was offered and followed them outside.

Tonight was no different.  She sat at the bar and ordered a drink, using the Russian that Giles had taught her.  She had asked him to teach her to order food and drinks which he had done, and she had caught on quickly.  Her accent wasn't entirely horrible either, something that both she and Giles were quite proud of.

Her drink was delivered to her, a cup of hot chocolate that she put her hands around to keep them warm.  She couldn't wear gloves on patrol most nights because it was too easy to lose the grip on her weapons when she wore them.  She had found that out the hard way and had then learned that it was better to have frost bitten hands than to not be alive.

She felt someone stand behind her, the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end.  A vampire.  He sat beside her and offered her a smile.  She smiled back, falling into the part of a young woman looking for company.  

At sixteen, she was incredibly lovely, with long blonde hair and a heart shaped face.  Her eyes were a greenish hazel colour and when she smiled, her face lit up the room.  She knew she was pretty, but the rest of the population knew that she was beautiful.

The vamp said something to her in Russian, and she quickly told him that she couldn't speak Russian, another phrase which Giles had taught her.  She informed him that she only spoke English.  That wasn't entirely true, she could speak French and Italian as well, something that the Council had taught her.  

The vampire smiled at her.  "Well, in that case, I'll speak English too."

His English was perfect, and she idly wondered how old the vampire was.  He looked to be in his early twenties when he had died, but Beth still had trouble telling how old a vampire was just by the feeling they gave her.  She could tell her wasn't a newly made fledgling though.  He seemed too confident for that. 

"You're English is pretty good," she complimented him.

"Yours too," he replied with a cheeky smile.  She couldn't help but laugh at that.  "What's your name?"

"Beth," she answered.  There was no point lying to the vamps, and it was easier to keep track if she just told them her name.  She knew that she would end up dusting them all anyway.  She had yet to lose against a vampire that 'courted' her at the bar.

"I'm Dimitri," he replied.  "Well, lately I am."

"And before?" she asked.

"Well, my mum named me Nigel, so you can see why I changed my name," he said with a laugh.

He was tall, probably about six foot with spiky blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes.  He was dressed for the weather in a black business suit with a long warm black coat over the top.

She finally worked out what his real accent was.  "You're British."

He nodded.  "Born and bred in Bath.  I came to St Petersburg a few years ago.  Changed my name and got an entire new life."

It wasn't the first time that a vampire had told her that they had just started a new life.  It was a little clichéd but at the same time it was true.  They lost their souls and gained a demon instead of a conscience.

He gave her another smile and stood up, holding out his hand.

"Perhaps we could go somewhere quieter," he said.  "I've not had a conversation in English for a while."

She smiled and finished her hot chocolate, taking his hand.  She could never quite get over how cold vampires hands were.  He led her outside and they walked towards a quieter part of town that was sheltered from the wind.  He sat on a park bench, patting the seat beside him.  She sat, a little nervous.  No other vampire had taken her away from the restaurant before.  They had taken her into the alley and tried to sink their fangs into her neck when she would always surprise them with a stake to the heart before heading back inside to repeat the process.  This was entirely new.

"So, where are you from?" he asked.  "I can't place your accent."

"Around," she replied vaguely.  

He chuckled a little and looked at her curiously.  "Come on.  I told you about me.  You can't even tell me where you grew up?"

"I lived in America for a while.  Moved to London when I was five, went to Ireland when I was fifteen, and came here a few months ago," she replied.

"A traveller," he exclaimed.  "I like that in a girl."

She didn't understand him.  Most vampires would have been trying to bite her by now.  He either had a lot of self-control or she had been wrong about him being a vampire.  The hairs on her neck were still on edge so she knew she hadn't been wrong about him.

"Why St Petersburg?" she asked.

He shrugged and put his arm on the back of the bench, his fingers only just touching her shoulder.

"I've always liked Russia.  Plus, we get to wear these big coats.  Always a plus," he said.

She grinned a little and shook her head, liking his sense of humour.  She wondered whether she would have it in her to kill him when the time came.  She knew she would though.  If she didn't, hundreds, even thousands of innocents would die.

"Same question to you.  Why here?" he asked.

"My uncle moved us here.  I came with him," she explained.

"Where is your uncle?  Surely he wouldn't let someone as lovely as yourself wander around the streets by yourself at this time of night," he said.

"He's at home.  Feeling a little under the weather at the moment," she explained.  It was the easiest alibi to remember, the same one she gave to every person who asked where her guardian was.  It always made her laugh, the way people thought that she would _need_ a guardian, when in all honesty, she _was_ the guardian.

"Well, in this weather it's hard to not be under it," Dimitri quipped.

She laughed a little, grinning at him.  He looked at her intently for a moment.  She felt her heart catch in her throat, knowing that the vampire in front of her was playing a dangerous game with her.  She just needed to remember that it was just a game to him.  Even if she found herself liking him a little bit, he would still kill her in the end if he had the chance.

Beth had a grip on the stake concealed in her jacket sleeve, holding on to it tightly.  She watched as Dimitri lowered his face to hers, sure that he was about to go for her neck.  When he lowered his mouth to her lips, she was stunned.  

She'd never been kissed before, especially not by a vampire.  She felt her heart speed up, and before she knew it, she was kissing him back.  It was soft, gentle, not at all what she would have expected from a vampire.  She had seen them when they fed and it had always looked violent.  She'd never been bitten by one and had no desire for it to happen.

Dimitri's hand came to rest on her back, pulling her slight form closer to him.  She could feel his skin warming as he touched hers and suddenly realised that he was craving the warmth of her touch.  With the hand that wasn't holding the stake, she brought her fingers to his face, touching the stubble on his chin as the kiss continued.

She finally broke away, needing air and he looked at her with what could only be described as awe.

"You are…stunning," he whispered.

She blushed a little, and he brought his hand to her face, glorying in the warmth of it.  

"Can I see you again?" he asked.  "Perhaps for dinner?"

And she suddenly remembered that he was a vampire.  She had heard that line too many times as well.  They would ask her for dinner, and she would ask what was on the menu.  At that point, they would vamp and usually growl the word 'you' before trying to bite her.  Predictable.

"Depends," she replied playfully.  "What's on the menu?"

"That depends how you like them," he replied, his lips brushing across her cheek, drinking in their warmth.  "They can be young or old, thin or fat.  You can have them full of wine, or full of sugar."

For the first time since she had been Called, Beth felt blind panic.  Had she not been the Slayer she wouldn't have had a clue what Dimitri was talking about.  But she had grown up knowing about vampires and their rituals and the way that a person became a vampire.  And she knew that he wasn't talking about killing her, he was talking about turning her.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, brushing her lips across his for the final time.  She really had enjoyed kissing him.  "I don't think I can join you."

His eyes narrowed.  He hadn't been expecting her to know what he had been talking about.  

"You really don't have much of a choice there, Beth," he growled.  He vamped out and grabbed hold of her shoulders.

She just shook her head and looked him in the eyes.  "Thank you for my first kiss."

With that, she thrust her stake into his heart and watched as he crumpled to ashes in front of her, a shocked look on his face.  Usually, she would have gone back to try and lure out more vampires, but her heart wasn't in it tonight.  With the taste of Dimitri's lips still on her mouth, she wandered back to the house.  She idly wondered whether a Slayer had ever fallen in love, not with a vampire, but with a normal man.  

She'd been told repeatedly during her training that Slayers were forbidden to speak with men when they were Called, but Giles had been lenient with her so far.  She wondered what would happen were she ever to fall in love.  

With a heavy heart, she went into her house and spent the night dreaming of a young blonde haired man in black who had kissed her so gently despite the violence of his nature.  When she awoke the next morning, she quickly shook the thoughts of Dimitri from her mind and promised herself never to let a vampire put her off guard again.

Howdy guys…thanks heaps for your reviews and emails!  Makes me feel all fuzzy when I read 'em!

In answer to some questions:

1)Why call her Beth: because I needed Buffy to be a nickname.  Plus…would you REALLY call ur child Buffy?  I know that it is her real name, but…in later chapters you'll see why I wanted her to be Beth and not Buffy.  

2) What happened to Merrick?:  uh…good question.  Buggered if I know.  ;)  Actually, the real reason is, I haven't seen the movie, so I don't know his character at all.  I don't' like writing for characters that I don't know.  
3) The Slayers-in-Training are not trained at the Council facilities but actually outside, in the real world, hence Kendra would still be down in the Carribean (i think, though I could be wrong) with her Watcher Sam Zabuto, and Faith would still have been in Boston: shhh…*grins* Yeah I know.  But, it worked to have them in the one spot really.  And I needed Travers to be a sadistic asshole…  
4) Lothos? Does he have a part to play in this story? He was the first Big Bad Buffy slayed: again, I haven't seen the film…and no he won't play into it…this isn't a rewrite of the movie or the series…  
5) Isn't India, according to the books anyway, the Slayer before Buffy? And she's in San Diego, with her Watcher Kit: uhhh…I haven't read the books either (makes you wonder if I'm really a fan, huh…hmmm…I should see the movie at least…)  

6) The B/G thing: I know…kinda skanky…I agree with you there…In all honesty, this fic was going to be B/E, but then I changed my mind…that was just tooooo wrong.  Most of the alternate chapters don't _really_ fit with the main story, which is why I didn't make this any sort of 'shipping…I mean…I've written a B/A and can you see a Council trained Slayer going out with a vamp?  And a B/S chappy as well…soulless, chipless, evil Spike and Buffy…not likely.  They're just for fun.

7) Ethan: Yeah, he'll be back.  Not to worry.

8) Pike: Nup.  Not in this fic.  Haven't seen the movie…(I'm thinking I might rent it out soon…)

Yeesh…I really didn't mean to go on for that long.  Almost longer than the chapter itself.  Sorry peeps!

Toodles.

K.

  
  



	13. Janna

CHAPTER THIRTEEN: JANNA

**Saturday: 3pm**

**13th December 1997**

Romania: Bucharest 

Giles had told her that they would only be in Romania for a month at the most, something for which she was grateful of.  She didn't particularly like it at all, and she wished to be somewhere that spoke English as their first language.  It had been over ten months since she had been in an English speaking country, and it was beginning to annoy her.

She was dying for good conversation with someone apart from Giles.  The letters to Ethan and Faith, now monthly rather than weekly, were a small comfort to her, one that Giles still didn't know about.  She was able to send them when she went on patrols by herself.  She knew that she should have told him about them, but she had kept her father-figure a secret for so long that it had become a habit.

She trusted Giles with her life, and he trusted her with his.  They worked well together, Beth helping him with any research that needed to be done, and Giles occasionally coming on patrol with her when she was feeling unwell for any reason.

She'd been the Slayer for a little over a year now, and she had fought some incredible battles against demons and vampires alike.  The latest conflict in Romania, however, was wearing her down slowly.  She was more tired than she should have been, and she felt as though her strength was slowly being drained from her.

Giles had been researching for the past two days to see if there was any precedent for this sort of a reaction to the demons that she was facing.

"Anything?" she asked.

He looked up at her and shook his head sadly.  He knew he wasn't supposed to become attached to her, but it was hard not to become fond of her.  After the incident with Father Pat in Ireland she had basically opened up to him in every area of her life, and he had slowly begun to do the same.

"It looks as though our demon is native to this region," he said.  "It feeds on peoples strength, which is probably why you're feeling so vulnerable right now."

She glared at him, snatching the book away from him to read the passage herself.  

"I'm a little off, not vulnerable," she corrected angrily.  The sudden loss of her strength was making her testy, and even though she was still stronger than the average person, she was weaker than she had become accustomed to.

Giles rolled his eyes and took the book back.

"I'm still searching for ways to eradicate the entire clan.  These Kalder demons are surprisingly resilient."

She perked up a little as he said the demons name.  "Kalder?  I've heard that name."

He looked at her curiously.  He truly valued her research skills and had often wondered whether the girl even needed a Watcher to help her.  She had shown remarkable intelligence and flair for the intellectual side of the slaying.  All round, he couldn't have got a better Slayer than Beth Summers.

She picked up a book that she had gone through the evening before, flicking through it to the section she had been reading.  Her eyes lit up a little as she found the appropriate passage.

"Look," she said, pushing the book towards Giles, "The Kalder demon.  Named after the near decimation of the Clan of Kalderash, a regional Gypsy tribe in Romania.  Persons belonging to the Clan of Kalderash are the only living entities known to this realm that possess the majicks needed to call upon the forces of light to terminate the Kalder demons.  The majicks needed require the half-life of a willing Chosen."

Beth's face fell as she registered the words.

"Willing Chosen?  Does that mean Chosen as in Slayers?" she asked.

Giles removed his glasses and began polishing them, a gesture that indicated he was nervous.

"Quite possibly.  That could explain why you're feeling so drained.  If you are indeed the willing Chosen that the tribe is using…it sounds almost as though they need half of your strength," he said.

She looked at him with narrow eyes.  "I thought the word 'willing' meant that I had to volunteer for this.  I'm not exactly willing."

He did look a little concerned, which made Beth feel a little guilty for snapping at him.

"Perhaps we need to visit this tribe and see what exactly it is that they are doing," he suggested.

She looked stricken at the suggestion and shook her head empathically.  "Uh, Giles?  While you may be all for offering me up as a willing sacrifice or whatever it is they need, I'm _not_ willing."

He looked at her in the way that she knew would get her to do anything.  His head slightly bowed, eye-balling her gently.  She sighed knowing he had won.  Sometimes she hated that obedience had been ingrained into her.

"Alright, fine…we'll go."

------------------------

It took Giles a day to discover the exact location of the Gypsy tribe, and he and Beth set out to find it on the Saturday.  She was still reluctant, but, like she had sworn to herself in the previous year, she was going to trust Giles with every part of her life, including the part where she could be killed if anything went wrong.

After a four-hour drive and a two-hour trek through the wooded area, the Watcher and Slayer found themselves in the midst of a gypsy camp.  Beth looked towards her Watcher who breathed in deeply and calmly walked forward.  Beth sighed and followed him.

There were shouts from the gypsies, warning all the other members of the clan that they had intruders on the premises.  Giles and Beth tried to look as unthreatening as possible.  A man who was obviously an elder of the tribe approached them.

"Friends or foes?" he asked in Romanian.

Giles gave them small smiles.  "We are friends.  We've come to ask for your help."

A peal of laughter broke out, making Beth a little nervous.  She had no idea what was being said, but she could tell that it couldn't have been good.

"And why would we help you?"

"We've been attacked by the demons that we know attacked your clan," Giles replied.

The laughter immediately stopped and a silence followed Giles statement.  Beth shifted nervously, her hands on the dagger in her pocket.

"I'm sorry.  We cannot help you there," the elder said, sounding genuinely sorry.  "We cannot kill these beasts."

"I read that there was a way," Giles said.  He was now completely confused.  He had assumed that it was the gypsies performing spells on his Slayer to make her suddenly lose her strength, but it sounded as though they didn't know that Beth was the Chosen One.

"There is a way," the elder said.  "But we do not have the final ingredient."

"Which is what?" Giles asked.

"The half-life of a Chosen."

Giles swallowed hard and pressed on, knowing that the wrong wording could get his Slayer killed at any second.  

"What do you mean by half-life?" he asked.

"The Chosen's blood.  But she must willingly give it to us, or else the demon will not perish.  The demon can be defeated by a simple incantation, but the blood is the key ingredient," the elder said.

"And the amount of blood that you need…it wouldn't kill the Chosen would it?"

The elder shook his head.  "No, not at all.  The Kalder demons drain the Chosen of her strength, but our spell will not only give the Chosen her strength back, but increase it two-fold as well."

Giles looked vaguely pleased at the idea of that.  He glanced at Beth and quickly gave her a translation of what they had just said.  She looked nervous, but Giles could tell that she was about to volunteer to be the 'willing Chosen'.

"This is Beth Summers," he told the clan.  "She is the Chosen One.  And she is willing."

A burst of noise went through the camp.  In five hundred years, there hadn't ever been any willing Chosen Ones to volunteer their services.  There hadn't been any Slayers in the vicinity in centuries, and to have one wander into their midst now seemed like an answer to prayers from long ago. 

The elder stepped forward and looked down at Beth, touching her chin and forcing the girl to meet his eyes.  He asked her something that she couldn't understand.  Beth looked to Giles for a translation.

"She can't speak your language," he told the other man.  

The elder nodded and quickly switched to English.

"You are the Chosen One?  The Slayer?" he asked.

"I am," she replied.

"And you will willingly give up your blood to help us finally destroy these beasts?" he asked.

"Yes."

The elder nodded and looked towards a young woman behind him. 

"Janna!  Come forward."

Janna was a young woman of thirty or so years with dark brown hair and hazel eyes.  She looked at the elder, knowing that he had honoured her greatly by asking her to be part of the ritual.

"Prepare Miss Summers for the bloodletting," he instructed.  Janna nodded and looked towards Beth who was still looking a little nervous.

Janna held out a hand to Beth who hesitantly took it.  

"It's alright," Janna told her speaking in the English rather than the Romanian that she had used to address the elder.  "It won't take long."

Beth nodded and followed the older woman, leaving Giles to worry about what was about to happen.  The elder looked towards four of the men standing in a clump together.

"Prepare the spell."

For a moment, the clan seemed to be in shock, but after a few seconds, they jumped to obey the instructions that they had been given.  They were excited at the prospect of finally being rid of the Kalder demons that had plagued their country for centuries.

----------------------

"Nervous?" Janna asked her as she cleaned a section of Beth's arm.

Beth nodded and swallowed hard.  

"I'm still not too sure what I just got myself into."

Janna gave a tiny laugh and smiled at her reassuringly.  

"You'll be fine.  We'll take a fair bit of your blood, but after a good nights rest and a lot of vitamins, you'll be at one hundred and fifty percent in no time," she said.

"Is it true about my strength increasing?" she asked.

Janna nodded and Beth could only sit and worry in silence as to what that would mean.  Surely she would be far safer if she was stronger, but at the same time, she didn't really want the added pressure of being the strongest Slayer in history.  It would mean that when she died, it would have to be more spectacular than the previous Slayers.  She knew that it was an absurd train of though to have, but it was there in the back of her mind.

"You'll be able to control it Beth," Janna assured her.  "But don't let it control you."

"You think I couldn't handle it?" she asked, sounding a lot like Faith had when she had asked Beth whether she had thought that Faith could hack being a Slayer.

"I think that it takes someone with a world of strength within them to do what you must do.  Being the Chosen is a thankless task, one that will eventually mean death," Janna said.

Beth nodded, having being drilled with this information since she was a child.

"I know all of this.  Why do you think I couldn't handle it?" she asked.

"Because you are slowly losing your focus," Janna said gently.

Beth glared at her, wondering how the gypsy could know that.  Janna just laughed gently and placed Buffy's arm above a bowl.  She looked at Beth who followed Janna's gaze to a silver dagger that she was holding.  Beth nodded and watched as Janna drew a line across her wrist, and turned Beth's arm so that the blood could flow into the bowl.

"You fight for certain people, yes?" Janna asked.

Beth nodded.  "Yeah.  I do."

"But they aren't as much of a comfort as they were when you first began, are they?  You miss them terribly," she stated.

Beth nodded once more.  "I haven't seen either of them in over a year."

Janna gave her a small smile and held Beth's arm steady when it began to shake from blood loss.

"I'll offer you one piece of advice, young Slayer," Janna said.  "You will meet both of them again, very soon.  You'll probably find that they are both a little lost without you as well."

"But, how do I regain my focus?" she asked.

Janna smiled and moved to gather some material to staunch the blood flow now that the bowl was full.

"You'll regain your focus when you find your place in the world."

"I know my place.  I help people…that's what I do," Beth said.

Janna nodded gently and bandaged Beth's arm.

"I don't mean that sort of place.  I mean a proper location.  A home.  Friends.  Your family."

"Slayers can't have that luxury," Beth said.

Janna smiled and patted Beth's hand softly.

"You'll find all of it.  Sooner than you think.  You'll be moved soon.  And you'll find your place there.  You'll find where you belong."

Beth frowned as Janna stood up and moved away.

"How do you know all this?" she asked.

"I see things that the others do not, little one.  I see your future laid out very clearly in front of you.  There are two ways that you can go, and you must be careful which path you take.  Just remember to accept the gifts that you are given and learn to live with the fact that you can't have the things that everyone else has," she said cryptically.  "Your acceptance will be the first step on your true path."

With that, Janna took the bowl and left Beth to sit and ponder what had just been said.

------------------------

"Well, that was successful, wouldn't you say?" Giles asked happily.

Beth nodded, unusually quiet.

"Are you alright?" Giles asked.

She nodded again.  "Just a bit tired," she explained.

"Yes, Janna said that you might be a little fatigued after that," Giles said.

Beth smiled at the tinge of red that appeared on Giles' face when he mentioned Janna.  It was a shame that they would be moving on so soon.  

They walked into their small two-bedroom house, throwing their coats over the chair.

"I'm gonna head to bed if you don't need me for anything," Beth said tiredly.

"Yes, of course.  That-"

He was interrupted by the ringing of the phone.  He sighed and looked at her.  "Hold that thought."

Beth stood and waited for her Watcher to answer the phone, not wanting to go to bed until she found out what Giles had been called for.  Most of the phone calls had usually been about the Council wanting them to take a new assignment.

"Giles here," Giles said.

"Where?  Yes.  Yes, alright.  Tomorrow?  Yes.  Yes, that's fine.  We'll be ready.  Yes thank you.  Good night."

He hung up and looked towards Beth.

"New location?" she asked.

He nodded.  "A small town in the States."

"What's it called?"

"Sunnydale."

*grins* Well…I think that answers a few questions that were brought up.  Will they ever go to Sunnydale…yup!

To clarify: this fic will stay non-shippy, BUT cos a lot of ppl like reading shippy stuff, I have written a few chapters that have bugger all to do with the story, but work quite well as stand-alones with the basic fic background.  They're not for HEAPS ages though…you'll kinda understand more when we get up to the stand alone parts. ;)

Thank you soooooo much to everyone who has been giving feedback!  It's fully encouraging!!!

Toodles.

K.


	14. Xander

CHAPTER FOURTEEN: XANDER

**Saturday: 2pm**

**27th December 1997**

**California: Sunnydale**

Two weeks into their stay in Sunnydale, Beth found herself with nothing to do.  The town was surprisingly quiet during the day, and Beth was going stir crazy when the sun was up.  In the evenings though, she had more than enough to do.  She could definitely see why she and Giles had been relocated to the small Californian town.

Two days after Christmas, when everyone was still visiting with their families, Beth found herself wandering around the small town.  She couldn't believe how small it was in comparison to the last two places she had been to.  Where they had stayed in Romania hadn't been that large, but Sunnydale seemed to be tiny in comparison.

There were twelve cemeteries that she had counted, and the death rate was huge.  Apart from that though, it seemed to be a regular town.

She wandered down the main street, dropping her letters for Faith and Ethan into a mailbox as she went, giving them her new address.  She couldn't believe that she had managed to keep it a secret from Giles for over a year.

Then again, she and Ethan had kept their visits a secret for four years, so she wasn't all that surprised.

She was lost in thought when she accidentally ran into a young man on the street, dropping her shoulder bag.  She cursed silently and bent down to pick up the items that she had spilled.  The young man bent down beside her as well.

"Can I have you?" he asked.

She looked up at him startled.  He coughed to hide his nervousness and tried the sentence again.

"Uh…can I help you?"

She smiled her thanks and let him hand her the spilled items.

"I don't know you, do I?" he asked.

She shook her head.  "I'm Beth.  I'm kinda new to the area."

"Xander," he said.  He winced.  "Is me.  Hi."

She smiled at his adorable goofiness.  She stood up as Xander did the same.  She reshouldered her bag.

"Thanks," she said politely.

"Well, maybe I'll see you around," he said.  "Maybe at school, since we both…go there.  You do go to school right?"

She shook her head.  "Home schooling," she explained.

He nodded, looking a little disappointed.  

"Can't say that I blame you.  The American school system ain't the best, but…well, I've learnt how to sleep through almost anything," he joked.

She laughed a little.  She'd never had a male friend her age before.  The only guys she'd ever really come in contact with were Ethan and Giles who were more like father figures to her.  This was an all-new experience.  

"Hey, I gotta go, my…my uncle will start worrying soon," she said.

"Oh," he said, the disappointment showing on his face.  "Well, I guess…I'll see you around town some time."

She nodded and gave him a small smile.  "It was nice meeting you."

"Well, I'm nice to meet," he said with a grin.  "Hey, if you want to meet some more people, you should come to the Bronze."

She looked at him in confusion.  "The who?"

"The Bronze," he repeated.  "It's the only club worth going to around here.  Well, it's actually the _only_ club around here.  They pretty much let anybody in, but it's the place to be.  Everyone goes there."

"Well…I'll keep it in mind I guess," she said.  She mentally stored the information away.  If it was a club that a lot of Sunnydale kids were regulars at, then there was a chance that there would be a lot of vampires scouting around the club as well.  "I'll see you later."

Xander was left watching her walk away.  He couldn't believe that he had made a complete idiot of himself in front of one of the most gorgeous girls he had ever met.  He sighed and looked down at his shoes.  He saw a small wooden stake beside his shoes and bent down to pick it up.  

He looked after the girl, wondering whether she had dropped it or if it had been there the entire time.  He pocketed it and wondered why anyone would have a stake.  'Maybe for a really little fence.'

------------------------

"I'm going out Giles," she called as she shrugged her jacket on.  

He poked his head out of the kitchen and gave her a small smile.  "Do be careful tonight," he said.

She grinned at him.  "Always am.  I'll see you in the morning."

"You've got your keys?" he asked.

"Yes dad," she teased.

He smiled at that.  He really was fond of her.

"Night," she called, shutting the door behind her.

She made her way towards the Bronze, taking out three vamps on her way there.  She couldn't believe that this town was so vampire infested.  And none of the residents even seemed to notice that it was happening.  She couldn't believe how blind people were towards things that they didn't want to believe in.  Then again, she couldn't really blame them.  Given the choice, she probably would have chosen blissful ignorance as well.

She entered the Bronze, surprised to see it filled with young people.  She could feel her sixth sense going crazy the second she walked through the door.  She looked around the club and spotted at least five vampires on the prowl.  She frowned and made her way out to the dance floor, seeing two vampires dancing together.  

She sauntered onto the dance floor, working her way towards the vamps.  She tapped on the female vamps shoulder and smiled sweetly  

"Mind if I cut in?" she asked.

The female vamp smiled and stepped back, letting Beth begin to dance with the boy-vamp.  Beth could see that the two vamps exchanged looks over her shoulder.  Within minutes, the boy-vamp had asked her to join him somewhere quieter.  Beth gave him a smile and followed him out of the club, the female vamp following at a small distance.

Beth looked at the female in distaste, playing the part of a simple girl who had just picked up a hot guy.

"I shoulda mentioned that I don't do anything kinky, like threesomes," she said in her best air-head voice.

The two vamps advanced towards her, and Beth stepped backwards, leading them towards the alley behind the club.  The vamps thought she was backing away in fear, but really it was a tactical retreat so that they weren't as out in the open.  When Beth was certain that no one could see them, she pulled a stake from her jacket pocket, eliciting two identical surprised expressions.  The female vamp was dust before either vamps could attack her.  

The remaining vampire lunged towards her angrily, annoyed that he had just lost his sire.  Beth fought him quickly, not liking the fight being so close to people.  She staked him quickly and dusted herself off.  She replaced the stake in her pocket for future dustings.  With a devil-may-care smile, she went to walk back into the Bronze.

She stopped when she saw a familiar face coming out.  Xander.  Being led by a female vampire.  She frowned and followed them at a safe distance.

"Are you sure your car's this way?" she heard Xander ask in a nervous voice.  "I don't see it anywhere."

The vampire turned around to face him in full game-face.  Xander jumped back in shock, but to his credit, he didn't scream.

"Oh, that'd be right.  I finally meet a nice looking girl, and she just wants me for my body," he said.

Beth rolled her eyes, wondering whether he knew what he creature was, or if it was just false bravado.  She quickly discovered that Xander had no idea of what to do in the face of a vampire attack.  The vamp lowered her fangs towards Xander's neck, but was surprised to be pulled off her dinner.

"You know, I don't know how healthy his blood's gonna be," Beth quipped.  "My guess is that his sugar intake is worse than mine."

The vampire growled and lunged towards her, shocked when Beth kicked her and sent her sprawling to the ground.  Xander watched in amazement. 

"Slayer," the vampire growled.

"Ahh, so good to be back in English speaking countries.  You know, I've heard vamps call me that in four different languages now.  It just sounds so much better in English," Beth said, fighting he vampire the entire time as she spoke.  She truly had missed the bantering of the English-speaking vampires.

Giles always told her off for it, saying that she should just 'plunge and move on' but she enjoyed teasing them before she killed them.  It threw them off and gave her an advantage.

"You ruined my dinner Slayer," the vampire growled.

"Yeah, well, you ruined my life, so I'd say we're about even," Beth replied easily.

With a quick flick of her wrist, the vampire turned to dust and Xander gave a small 'manly' yelp.  

"You okay?" she asked.  

He stared at her and then looked back at the pile of dust that lay on the ground at their feet.

"You killed her," he whispered.

Beth nodded.  She hated when people said that to her.  They were already technically dead, so it wasn't as though it was murder.  

"How did…how did you do that?" he asked.

"It's what I do," she replied.

"But you're just a girl," he said with confusion.

She smiled wryly.  "That's what I keep saying."

He stared at her, standing up on shaky legs.  He saw for the first time how tiny the girl really was.

"You're so…"

"If you finish that sentence with small, you'll find out just how hard I can hit," she said, a smile playing on her lips.

He gave her a tiny grin back.  She sighed, wishing that her life cold be normal.   

"Are you gonna be alright?" she asked.

He sat down on an upturned garbage bin.  She could see his hands shaking a little.

"I dunno.  This is…this is a lot to take in," he admitted.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

He looked at her, wondering why she as apologising.  

"This wasn't your fault," he said.

"I'm just sorry that you had to be dragged into my world," she said softly.

He blinked hard and stood up again.

"Alright.  I think I'm good to go," he said.

"You want me to walk you home?" she asked.

He looked at her as though she'd grown an extra head.

"Home?  I came here to dance!" he exclaimed, flashing her a grin.

She couldn't help but smile at his ability to bounce back after his near death experience.

"What do you say?" he asked shyly, holding out a hand to her.  "Will you dance one dance with me?  It's the least I can do to say thank you."

She hesitated but put her hand in his, letting him lead her inside.  It was so strange to be holding a boys hand that wasn't attached to someone who was cold or trying to lead her to her death.  

He led her onto the dance floor and she let him hold her close to his chest.  For the first time in eleven years, she finally felt like a normal girl.  She felt tears well in her eyes as she realised she couldn't let herself do this.  She couldn't let herself become attached to anyone for too long.  Life as a Slayer was too precarious, and she couldn't let herself indulge in emotions that could lead to someone getting hurt because of her Slayer status.

She pulled away from him after one song and gently kissed his cheek.

"Thank you for the dance," she whispered.

He tugged her wrists to keep her from leaving but she just shook her head sadly.  

"I'm sorry.  I can't do this."

He followed her outside, not certain why he was doing it.  He felt drawn to this mysterious and beautiful blonde girl.

"Why can't you?" he called after her.  She stopped in her tracks and turned to face him.  He was surprised to see tears in her eyes.

"I just can't," she replied.

"Because of what I saw earlier?" he asked.

"That's part of it, yeah."

"I don't care about that Beth," he told her.

She shook her head sadly.  "But I do.  I'm sorry.  I can't do that to you."

"Can't do what?  Can't stay and dance with me for another song?  Can't maybe let yourself maybe feel something for me as well?" he asked.

"Can't any of it," she replied.  "I let myself feel for you, and you become a target.  You become too attached and before you know it, I'm dead in six months time."

"So why do you do it then?" he asked.

She shook her head.  "I can't tell you that."

She'd been sworn to secrecy when she had first begun training to be a Potential.  It had been one of the first things she'd been taught.  You had to keep your identity as the Slayer a secret.  Bad things could happen to you and those around you if you let people know who you really were.

"That thing…it called you a Slayer," he said.  

She kept her face passive, giving nothing away.  She just sighed silently and forced herself to turn away from him.

"Good night Xander."

He could only watch as she walked away from him.  He swore to himself that he would find out more about the girl who was tugging on his heartstrings.  And he would find out more about this whole 'Slayer' business as well.  


	15. Willow

CHAPTER FIFTEEN: WILLOW

Saturday: 11am 

**10th January 1998**

**California: Sunnydale**

Beth hadn't told Giles about her encounter with Xander, and she had no intention of telling her Watcher that she had slayed a vampire in front of someone.  She hadn't seen him since, though that could have been because she was avoiding the Bronze and sticking to the cemeteries for her patrols.  She sometimes patrolled the outside of the Bronze, waiting for vampires to lure victims outside.  

Two weeks later, she was walking down the main street once more.  She saw him walking towards her and quickly ducked into the nearest open building that she passed by.  She watched subtly as he walked past the store.  She breathed a sigh of relief and turned around to see where she had ended up.

It looked like some sort of a museum.  She smiled and walked inside.  Her studies at the Council had made her appreciate older items of historical value a lot more than most teenagers her age.  She walked around taking in the ancient artefacts, surprised that she actually recognised some of them.

She heard a voice from behind her and whirled around.

"They're pretty amazing aren't they?" a redheaded girl said, pointing towards an old jousting set.  Beth smiled at her and nodded.

Beth noticed the nametag adorning the girl's collar.  Willow.  

"Were you looking for anything in particular?" Willow asked her.

"Uh, no not really.  Just browsing," she replied.

Willow nodded and gave the blonde girl a smile.  "I can't blame you.  I'm in here for work all the time, but I still love just looking around.  It's just so amazing."

Beth grinned and turned back to the display.

"You know, the knights had to have about three people to help them onto their horses cos their army was too heavy for them," Beth said with a grin.  She had always loved the image that the fact had conjured.  

"Can you imagine having to wear something like that in the sun?" Willow added with a small giggle.

"I just can't get over that these guys used to fight for sport," Beth said.  "Why bother if you're gonna wear tons of armour?  It's so…pointless." 

Willow smiled at the unintentional pun.  "I think that's why they wore the armour…to make sure the points weren't anywhere near their skin," she joked.

Beth smiled and looked at the red-headed girl.  She was slightly taller, which wasn't a hard feat, seeing as Beth was still only around 5'2".  

"Willow, huh?" Beth said.  "I'm Beth."

Willow held out her hand for Beth to shake, which she promptly did.  "Nice to meet you Beth.  Are you new to Sunnydale?"

Beth nodded.  "Yeah, I just moved here."

"Are you at school or college?"

"Neither actually.  Home schooled," she replied.

Willow's eyes went wide.  "You're not one of those scary religious types are you?" she asked.  She took in the elegant Celtic cross that adorned Beth's neck and wondered whether she had inadvertently said the wrong thing.

"No," Beth replied with a laugh.  "My uncle just doesn't trust the American schooling system."

"Oh?  Where's your uncle from?"

"England," Beth replied.  "I grew up there.  Well, I travelled around a lot for the last year and a bit, but, I moved to England when I was about five."

"But you're from the US originally, aren't you?  You've still got a hint of American accent in you," Willow said.

"Yeah.  From LA I think," Beth replied.  "I can't really remember."

Willow nodded.  "So, why do you live with your uncle?" 

Beth looked away and Willow felt a pang of guilt run through her.

"You'll uh…you'll have to forgive me.  I tend to speak without thinking first.  You don't hafta answer, I'm just…I ramble when I get nervous, and then badness happens.  See, usually my boyfriend's here to stop me, but seeing as he's not here, I'm just keeping on going.  And…stopping now."

Beth couldn't help but laugh.

"It's okay Willow," she said.  "My parents died when I was little, and Uncle Giles got custody."

Willow nodded, her face still slightly red from the embarrassment of her outburst.  Willow looked at her watch and let out a small 'eep'.  Beth looked at her curiously.

"I gotta run.  My break just finished, and Mrs Stanton is a slave driver," Willow said.  "It was nice meeting you."

Beth went to return the sentiment, but Willow had already taken off at a run towards the offices.  Beth grinned and shook her head as Willow went into one of the offices.  Beth went to a different display and looked down at the two carefully polished broadswords displayed there.  Giles would have a field day in this museum.  She grinned a little at that thought and went to leave when she was stopped by a kind voice.

"Did you need any help?" 

Beth turned to see who had spoken.  She smiled politely and shook her head.  "Just looking," she said.

"Well, if you need any help, just give us a yell.  I'm Joyce Stanton, the curator here," she said.

"Nice to meet you Mrs Stanton," Beth said politely.  Her Council training had certainly come in handy.  Her manners were impeccable, as Giles always told her.  

"Oh, please, it's just Joyce," she replied.

"Joyce," Beth repeated.  "Now that I think about it, I wanted to ask you about a painting you had displayed in the front hall."

"The Bradley?" Joyce asked.

Beth nodded.  

"I need a gift for my uncle," she explained.  "It's his birthday soon, and…he insists that he doesn't want anything, but…"

Joyce smiled and led the girl towards the front of the store.  They stood in front of the painting.

"It's lovely isn't it?" Joyce said, staring at it.  "It's of-"

"Northern England, yes, I know.  He grew up there, you see, and now we're in California, I'd like to be able to give him a small piece of home," she explained.  "He loves Bradley's work.  Not as much as Lenard's, of course, but that's a given."

Joyce looked at the young girl in amazement. 

"You really know your artwork, don't you?" she asked.

Beth smiled humbly.  "I spent a lot of time around art when I was growing up.  At first it was just…there, you know.  But then it became something of a hobby for me."

Joyce hesitated a moment before making an executive decision.  "There's a position vacant here, and I need someone who knows about art to work here.  Would you be interested?"

Beth's face lit up, but the went down just as quickly.  "I don't know how long my uncle and I are in Sunnydale for."

Joyce shrugged.  "That's alright.  If you had to leave, I could find someone else.  I just really need another staff member right now."

Beth nodded hesitantly.  "I couldn't work on Saturdays though.  Sundays and weekdays are fine."

"Oh, you don't go to school?" Joyce asked.

"No, not really.  I completed my studies in England," Beth explained.

Joyce nodded and shook Beth's hand.  "Well then.  I could use someone for Sundays, Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays.  Welcome to the staff of the Stanton gallery."

------------------------

Beth approached her Watcher cautiously.  She knew that he would chuck a fit when she told him that she had got a job working in an art gallery.  Although, he might think that it was a good idea so that she could keep an eye out for any books that the Council might wish to purchase.

She sat beside him, casting glances towards him every few seconds.  She was unable to catch his eye though, and she didn't know whether that was good or bad.  Several minutes passed before Giles sighed and asked her what she wanted, not bothering to look up from his paper.

"Giles, I…I kinda accepted a job," she admitted.

He looked up sharply, his paper forgotten.  "A job?"

She nodded guiltily.  

"Good heavens, why?" he asked. "No Slayer has ever wanted a job before."

She shrugged.  "I'm going crazy not doing anything.  I was actually gonna ask you if I could go back to school," she said.

"But you never had any problems in Russia or Ireland when you weren't doing anything," he said.

"Yeah, and there's only so much of it that I can take.  And it wasn't like I had a choice when we were in Russia and Romania.  I couldn't speak the language so it was hard for me to do anything.  But, I can actually understand people now," she explained.

He thought for a moment and gave a small sigh.  It was true that she was going crazy in the house.  He had had to send her out earlier that day because she had been driving him insane as well.

"What exactly is this job?" he asked.

"It's at an art gallery.  I went in there this morning, and…well, I met the curator, and we got to talking about the merits of Bradley versus Lenard, and…it kinda snowballed from there," she admitted.

"A gallery, you say," he said thoughtfully.  "Well, I don't see why there should be a problem with that.  As long as they know that you may not be here permanently. The Council can call at any time."

"I told that to Joyce," she said.  "Well, not the part about the Council of course, but the part about us not being here very long.  She said she didn't mind."

"Well, I don't mind you working there."

Beth grinned and stood up, a bounce in her step. She finally had something more in her life than the Slaying.

------------------------

Joyce lay in bed beside her husband Tim, drifting peacefully to sleep.  She gasped at the sudden thought that popped randomly into her mind.  She hadn't asked the young woman what her name was before hiring her.  With a small laugh at her own forgetfulness, Joyce Summers-Stanton drifted back to sleep with thoughts of her husband and her ten-year-old daughter Dawn filling her mind.  Behind the surface happiness though, a part of her still mourned for her missing daughter Buffy.  She sighed and snuggled closer to Tim, hoping that he could ease the hurt that still plagued her.


	16. Timothy

CHAPTER SIXTEEN: TIMOTHY

Sunday: 7am 

**11th January 1998**

**California: Sunnydale**

Tim Stanton groaned as he rolled over in his bed, hitting the alarm clock blindly in hopes of getting the blasted thing to stop beeping.  He heard his wife give a small giggle at his early morning routine.  He opened one eye and tried to glare, even though a hint of smile came to his face.

"Something you find funny Mrs Stanton?" he asked.

She leant over and gave him a small kiss.  "Just you Mr Stanton."

He smiled and stretch out on the bed.  "Wanna play hooky?" he asked mischievously.

Joyce hesitated before giving him the lightest of slaps to his bare feet, making him twitch a little.

"I have to be at the gallery to make sure my new employee learns the ropes," Joyce said.  "And you, Mr hot-shot lawyer, have to be at work in an hour."

"But it's Sunday," he groaned.  Reluctantly, he got up, padding over to the cupboard and pulling out a clean shirt, tie and suit combination.  He was interrupted by a small voice calling out to him.

"Daddy," came the voice.  He looked down to see his ten-year-old daughter staring up at him.

"What's wrong princess?" he asked.

"I can't find my red sneakers," she complained.

Tim chuckled and took Dawn by the hand.

"When did you last have them?" he asked.

"Last night after I got home from Melissa's," she replied.  "But I can't remember where I took 'em off."

Tim grinned and lifted his daughter up and took her down the stairs.  He went into the living room and immediately spotted them by the couch.  He set her down and pointed to the two shoes.

"There you go hun," he said.  

She grinned up at him and he leant down to receive a kiss on his cheek.  He went back up the stairs and changed quickly.  

"Do you want toast or cereal?" Joyce asked him as he went into the kitchen.  He kissed her gently and grabbed a bowl from the cupboard.  

"I don't think I can stomach anymore than half a bowl of cereal this morning," he replied.  He quickly organised his breakfast and sat at the island counter in the home on Revello Drive.  

"So, what was that about a new employee?" Tim asked curiously.

"Oh, there's a new girl in Sunnydale.  She seemed to know a lot about art actually.  It was strange.  She only looked like she was seventeen," Joyce said.  "I've hired her for the Sundays, Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays." 

"Ah, Joyce…those are school days.  Why would she be working then if she's only seventeen?" he asked.

"That was even stranger.  She said she'd finished her studies already.  That she had gone to school in England," Joyce explained.  "I didn't think their schooling system was that different to ours."

"Maybe she skipped a couple of grades," Tim suggested.

Joyce made a murmur of agreement and turned to look at Dawn.  A small part of Joyce had hated that Dawn had dark brown hair.  Joyce had wanted to have a little girl with blonde hair like her Buffy had had, but Dawn had taken after Tim's family with their dark locks.  There was very little resemblance between Dawn and her first child, something that Joyce had secretly wept over.

Tim had heard all about her first marriage and about the car accident that had changed her life.  He had heard bout Joyce's first alcoholic husband who had died in a car crash.  He had heard the tragic tale of how Joyce's first daughter had disappeared from the hospital after the same car accident, never to be found again.  

When Tim had first met Joyce, she was still deeply depressed about her daughter's disappearance and the death of her husband.  Tim had been a friend and nothing more until six months later.  He had asked her for coffee and things had escalated from there.  They'd been married in late December of 1987, almost two years after Buffy had gone missing.  Dawn had been born a year later.

Tim knew that his wife still thought about the missing girl, and he couldn't fault her for that.  He couldn't ever imagine getting over Dawn if anything had ever happened to her.

With a quick kiss to his wife and his daughter, Tim was out the door and on his way to work.

------------------------

Beth was up and dressed by the time Giles had just got out of the shower.  She favoured him a grin as he rubbed his face tiredly.

"I'm starting work soon," she informed him happily.  She did a small twirl in front of him.  "How do I look?"

He smiled at her, thankful that he had agreed to let her begin working.  He had noticed the way she seemed to be far happier today than she had been the day before.  It was a nice change.

"You look lovely," he complimented.  

They had had to go on another shopping spree for the Californian weather, and Beth had bought an entirely new wardrobe consisting of skirts and blouses, shirts, shorts and slacks.  She had been spending a lot of time in the sun developing a tan, something she hadn't been able to do as well in the other countries.  

Giles had to admit that Beth truly was a Californian girl.  He'd been told by Travers that Beth had originally lived in Los Angeles, and that they specifically weren't to visit there, just in case.  As an extra safeguard, Travers had told Giles to make Beth use Giles' last name, rather than her own.  

"Oh, Beth, when you fill out the forms for your job, will you use my last name instead of your own," he said.  "Just as a precaution."

She nodded, used to taking orders like that.  She had used his last name when they were in Russia and in Romania, so it wasn't an unusual request.  That and using his last name limited the questions about them.  It was far easier to explain that they were related if they had the same family name.

"I'll see you this afternoon," she called as she raced out the door.  "Don't have too much fun without me."

Giles just smiled and settled back to document his Slayer's progress in the journal he had been given.  With a smile, he recounted the previous nights slayage.

------------------------

Beth walked into the gallery, feeling a little nervous.  She was dressed professionally in a knee length skirt and a white blouse, her hair hanging around her shoulders.  She liked wearing her hair out during the day because of the restrictions the slaying put on her.  Giles made her way her hair up on patrol, saying that it would always get in her way.  He hadn't been wrong about that.

Joyce smiled when she saw her newest staff member enter the gallery.

"Good morning," she greeted cheerfully.

"Morning Joyce," Beth replied.

Joyce ushered her into her office and sat behind her desk, motioning for Beth to take a seat in front of her.  Joyce handed her several forms for her to fill in, hoping that she could merely read the girls' name off the sheet rather than admit that she had completely forgotten to ask for it the previous day.

When Beth handed the forms back to Joyce, she quickly read the name.  Beth Giles.  Pain flashed over her face, but she covered it quickly.  She always had trouble meeting people named Beth.  It was easier because she had never called her little daughter Beth.  It had always been Buffy.

Joyce looked over the forms while Beth curiously picked up the photo frame on Joyce's desk.  The picture showed Joyce with a man and a young brown haired girl.

"This is your family?" she asked.

Joyce looked up and saw what Beth was talking about.

"Oh yes.  Tim and Dawn.  Dawn just turned ten two months ago," Joyce said.

"She's pretty.  He's a bit of a spunk as well," Beth said.

Joyce went a little red, laughing at the young girl in front of her.  "I've always thought so."

Beth grinned and replaced the picture frame.  She noticed another frame showing a different man and a different girl with blonde hair and familiar eyes.  She was about to ask who was in the photo when Joyce's phone rang.  Joyce shot her an apologetic look and answered the phone.

"Stanton Gallery, this is Joyce.  Oh, Tim!  Hi.  I was just talking about you," she said.  She laughed at whatever Tim said and looked at Beth.  "My newest employee thinks you're a spunk."

Beth went a little red and hoped that she would never have to meet Joyce's husband.  She decided that she liked Joyce Stanton a lot, enjoying the wicked sense of humour that Joyce was displaying.  After a few more seconds of conversation, Joyce hung up the phone.

"Okay honey…alright.  Love you too.  See you tonight."

She looked at Beth and gave a sheepish smile.  "He said that at least I was hiring people with good taste."

Beth grinned a little.  "He sounds like a character."

"Oh, he is," Joyce agreed.  "I have trouble keeping up with he and Dawn sometimes.  But, it's definitely fun.  Challenging, but fun."

Beth smiled, wishing that she could have been part of a family.  She wondered whether she would have given up her life with Ethan and Faith for a normal life like Xander's or Joyce's.  She was a little shocked when she realised that she wouldn't want to give up Faith and Ethan for anyone or anything.

"Alright, so, we'll get you started," Joyce said, breaking her out of her reverie.  "I'll give you the grand tour, and then I'll get you settled."

Beth smiled politely.  "Sounds good."

~*~


	17. Faith II

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: FAITH (II)

**Sunday: 8pm**

**11th January 1998**

**California: Sunnydale**

Xander stood in his best friends bedroom, pacing nervously.

"Why do you want me to come with you again?" Willow asked.

He looked at her and stopped walking for a moment.

"I'm just…Willow, there are things out there that want to kill everyone in Sunnydale," he answered.  "And she's fighting these things.  I want to know why."

"Have you tried, oh say, _asking_ her?" Willow asked sarcastically.

"I tried that.  She said she couldn't tell me," he replied.

Willow rolled her eyes.  She'd been hearing about Xander's mystery girl for the last week, and while it would have bothered her a year ago, she was, thankfully, very much over the crush she had had on Xander Harris.

"Have you considered that she maybe couldn't tell you for your own good?" Willow asked.

"She said that too," he said.

"Maybe you should just drop it," Willow said.

"She liked me," he insisted.  "I know she did."

"Well, if you start stalking her, she'll probably change her mind very quickly," Willow quipped.

Xander gave her a look and sat down on Willow's bed and ran a hand through his hair.

"You can either come with me, or you can stay here.  I'm going," he said.

Willow sighed but stood up and pulled a jacket on.  Xander flashed her a grateful smile, and, after making sure he had the wooden stake tucked in the back pocket of his jeans, he and Willow set out to wander through the town.

------------------------

Beth walked through the cemetery, stake in her hand firmly.  It had been a slow night, and she could feel a pair of eyes on her back the entire night.  It wasn't a demon or a vampire, and she could only guess that it was the boy who she had saved the previous week.  She wasn't too concerned about him watching her, though she was worried that he would get hurt because of it.

She heard a rustling in the shrubbery and tensed for battle.  She wasn't disappointed.  Three vampires came through to the clearing and looked at her hungrily.

"Look guys," one of the vampires said cockily. "Someone's delivering our dinner."

Beth rolled her eyes and attacked the before they could attack her.  They were shocked at the sudden attack, but quickly regrouped.  Not quickly enough though, and the group diminished to two members.  

Beth grabbed one of the two vampires and flipped him over her shoulder and onto the ground, plunging a stake into his heart, the vamp groaning in pain as it shattered into ashes.  She heard a gasp from behind the bushes, but ignored it until she had disposed of the third and final vampire.

The vamp rushed her, knocking her to the ground.  She flipped back onto her feet and she and the last vamp fought tooth and nail, fists and fangs.  Beth finally gained the upper-hand and staked the vamp.  She could still hear someone in the bushes, and finally realised that it was two someone's that were watching her.  She was about to go and investigate when she heard the sound of someone clapping slowly behind her.  

She spun around and her eyes widened when she saw someone that she hadn't been expecting to see.  Faith stood in front of her, clad in leather pants, and tight midriff baring top and a matching leather jacket.  Faith smiled and winked at the Slayer.  Beth cast a glance to where the two intruders were still watching.  Faith followed her gaze and heard the noise that was distracting Beth.  Faith grinned and decided to give the two spies a show.

"B.  Good to see you again," she greeted coldly.

Beth caught the game quickly and the two friends began circling each other.

"Faith…how are you?"

"You know me," Faith replied.  "Five by five."

"I didn't expect to see you so soon," Beth said.  "What brings you to Sunnydale?"

"You do," Faith replied, making her voice sound mocking and threatening.  Beth fought not to laugh.  "I told you I'd track you down as soon as I got out of that hellhole."

Beth laughed a cold laugh and gave an imperceptible nod that began their sparring.  Faith rushed at her, and they relearned the steps to an almost forgotten dance.  

"How was the WCTC?  Still the equivalent of a Juvenile Detention Centre?" Beth asked.

Faith rolled her eyes and went into the back flip that Beth had taught her so long ago.  Beth let Faith get in the shot to her chin and stumbled backwards, rolling to keep herself from falling onto her back.

"Well, it was hell," Faith replied.  "Trav still hates you."

Beth laughed.  "I know.  But he can't touch me now."

"That's what you'd like to think," Faith teased.

Beth rolled her eyes and quickly managed to bring Faith to her knees.  

"So…where's Ethan?" Beth asked.

"Oh, he'll be coming soon," Faith replied, trying to make the idea of Ethan's arrival being something for the two intruders to be worried about.  "When he heard that I was coming, he wanted to drop everything, but I told him I'd save him a piece or two."

"How very generous of you," Beth replied.

"Well, you know me.  I'm a sharer.  He said he'd come sometime next week."

Beth bit her lip to keep from laughing and landed a shot to Faith, sending her stumbling backwards.  Faith grinned slyly and quickly knew how to get in a good shot at the Slayer.  Faith could feel how much stronger Beth was now, and Faith knew that there was no way she could ever beat Beth again in their sparring sessions.

"I saw Miller last week," Faith said.

Beth stopped, stunned.  Faith managed to knock the girl off her feet and Beth saw that it had just been a cheap shot, rather than the truth.

"That was a low blow Faith," she said quietly.

Faith had the grace to look a little bit sorry, but the dance continued.  

"Oh, I've got something for you," Faith said, her voice sugary sweet.  "A little remembrance." 

"Oh?"

"Yeah.  You might remember him as Mr G," Faith said.

Beth almost burst into laughter as she realised what Faith was talking about.  

"I told you that you could keep him to remember me by."

Faith couldn't help it anymore, and cracked up laughing.  Beth quickly followed suit and the two girls hugged tightly.

"Damn, I missed you B," Faith said.

"Same here Faith," Beth replied.

Faith looked towards the bushes and whispered into Beth's ear.

"What's with your little followers?" she asked.

Beth shrugged.  "Just some guy I met last week.  He's been tailing me all night.  I dunno who his friend is though."

Faith shook her head and aimed her voice towards where Willow and Xander were hidden.

"You guys can come out now.  You've got a lot to learn about being stealthy," Faith yelled.

There was a moments silence followed by the rustling of the buses.  Xander came out followed by a sheepish looking Willow.  Beth was shocked to see the redhead had been following her as well.

"What are _you _doing here?" Beth asked.

Willow shrugged and pointed to Xander.  "Blame him.  He asked me to come."

Beth looked at Xander who shifted uncomfortably under the Slayer's steely gaze.

"I thought I told you that I couldn't do this," Beth said.

"Well, yeah, technically, you did.  But…well, I'm not the greatest listener," Xander said.

Beth shook her head and glared at him.

"This isn't a game Xander.  You saw those things tonight.  You were nearly killed last week.  Haven't you learnt anything?" she asked angrily.

"I'm not unarmed.  I know how to protect myself," he replied.

"Look, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to lead you on, but I can't go there with you Xander."

Xander went to protest but Faith stepped towards him.  Beth bit back a laugh when Xander backed away from the ex-Potential.

"Her answer was no," Faith said coldly.  "What is it with guys not being able to take that as an answer?  She doesn't need an excuse.  The fact that she said no is enough to make you _back off_."

Xander swallowed hard and Willow giggled a little.  Faith shot the redhead a grin, making Willow giggle even harder.  

"I like you Red," Faith said, stepping back from Xander.

"Willow," she replied.

"I'm Faith," she said.

Xander finally calmed himself down and forced himself to look as though he didn't have a care in the world. 

"So, how do you and Beth know each other, Faith?" he asked.

Beth and Faith shared a grin.  "We grew up in hell together," Faith replied with a grin.

"But you two _are_ friends, right?" Willow asked.  "Cos that fight earlier looked pretty real."

"'Course we're friends," Faith replied easily.  "And that fight _was_ real."

"You've improved," Beth complimented.

"Right back at'cha.  You're hell strong, girl. I'm gonna have bruises come morning."

"So why were you fighting if you're friends?" Willow asked curiously.

Beth and Faith shrugged simultaneously.  "It's how we became friends.  S'good fun too," Faith answered.  "Right Summers?"

Beth nodded her agreement and completely forgot that her last name while she was in Sunnydale was meant to be Giles.  Beth looked towards Willow and Xander. 

"You guys should probably go home," she said.  "There's a lot of creepy stuff out here.  And if I see either of you tailing me again, I'm gonna get cranky, alright?"

Willow nodded, and gave her an apologetic smile.  "It won't happen again."

"Good.  And you Xander.  I want your word."

Xander grudgingly gave it to her.  "I promise." 

"Alright then.  I'll see you guys around," Beth said.  "And I don't think I have to tell you this, but you guys can't say anything about this to anyone.  Not even you're really close friends.  And especially not to Joyce."

Willow looked at Beth curiously.  "Why Joyce especially?"

Beth grinned.  "Cos I'm her newest employee."

Willow smiled brilliantly.  "Cool!  I'll probably see you there sometimes then."

With that, Willow and Xander waved their goodbyes and walked away, Willow scolding him for the entire walk home about how people's privacy should be sacred, and that he had no right just following Beth like that.

Faith and Beth exchanged grins. 

"They seem…"

Beth laughed at the implied statement.  "They seem nice Faith," Beth said.  "Just because they're a little…dorky, it doesn't mean they're bad people."

"Good to see you haven't changed a bit B." 

"You either Fai."


	18. Joyce II

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: JOYCE (II)

**Monday 3:30pm**

**12th January 1998**

**California: Sunnydale**

Joyce Summers-Stanton sat in her office going over the paperwork from the shipping order she'd just been given.  She sighed and stood up, hoping for something else to pop out at her to save her from doing her current task.

She saw Beth's paperwork sitting atop the filing cabinet.  The shipment had come in before Joyce had had a chance to read over the information properly.  She sat down with Beth's papers in her hands.

NAME: Beth Giles.

BIRTH DATE: 20th January 1981

Joyce stopped and stared at the date.  The 20th January 1981.  That was the date of her daughter's birthday.  And the name.  She breathed in sharply and felt tears spring to her eyes.  _Coincidence_, she thought to herself.  _It had to be a coincidence._

The girl had grown up in England, she'd said as much to Joyce in a previous conversation.

Then why did Beth's eyes look so familiar?  They had the same spark that Buffy's had always held.  Lost in thought, she failed to hear the knock on the door of her office.

Willow looked at her employer and the woman who had been like a mother to her for the last few years worriedly.  She looked to be deep in thought, holding a few pieces of paper.  Willow entered cautiously and put a hand on Joyce's shoulder, startling her.

"Oh Willow," Joyce breathed.  "What are you doing here?  It's a school day."

Willow pointed to the clock on Joyce's desk.  "Schools out for the day," she explained.

Joyce nodded and finally calmed her breathing down.  Willow looked at the papers curiously. 

"What are they?" she asked.

Joyce looked down at the papers, almost having forgotten what had had her so deep in thought.  

"Oh, I…I hired someone to work during the week," she explained.

"You mean Beth," Willow asked.

Joyce nodded.  "You've met her?"

"Yeah, we met on Sunday.  She came into the gallery.  And Xander seems to know her as well," Willow explained.

Joyce looked at her, with what Willow thought to be desperation in her eyes.

"What do you know about her?" she asked.

Willow could only think back to the previous night.  She had seen Beth slay a _vampire_ of all things.  And Beth had sworn she and Xander to secrecy.  Willow thought back a little further to the conversation she and Beth had had on Sunday afternoon.

"She just moved here from England with her Uncle.  She said his name was Giles or something.  And that her parents died when she was little," Willow said.

Joyce sighed.  She wasn't sure whether it was in relief or frustration.

"So, she grew up in England."

"Oh, she said she was originally from the States.  But she couldn't really remember it that well.  She said she vaguely remembered living in LA," Willow said.

She didn't notice that Joyce went pale.

"She's really nice though," Willow continued on.  "She seemed to know a fair bit about some of the things in the museum."

Joyce nodded absently.  Her mind went blank except for one thought.  She had to talk to this girl, and she had to do it now.  She stood up and looked towards Willow.

"Are you doing anything this afternoon?" Joyce asked.

Willow shook her head.  "Nothing.  Why?"

"Can you stay here?  I need to do something," Joyce said.

"Yeah sure," Willow said, not entirely sure what was happening.  She'd never seen Joyce so shaken before, and she wasn't about to not stay when Joyce had asked.

"Thank you Willow.  You're a life saver.  You know how to lock up, right?"

Joyce didn't even wait for an answer.  She just grabbed one of the photo frames from her desk and fairly ran out of the office.  Willow could only stare at Joyce's fleeing form, wondering what ad just happened.  

------------------------

Joyce was walking towards the apartment that Beth had listed as her current address when a car horn blasted from behind her.  She jumped a little, startled by the loud sound.  She saw her husband's car pull up beside her.

"Hey Joycie.  Did you need a ride somewhere?" he asked.

She looked at him in confusion as though trying to remember why he was talking to her.  Tim looked back at his wife and immediately stopped the car, getting out.  He took hold of her hands and looked at her intently.

"Joyce.  What's wrong?"

She shoved a piece of paper into his hands.  He took it and read it, not understanding what the significance of it was.

"What is this?  Is this about your new employee?  Did something happen?" he asked.

Wordlessly she handed him the picture of herself with Hank and Buffy.  Tim's eyes went wide.

"You think this new girl is your daughter?" he asked.

Joyce nodded and took the picture back protectively.

"You're heading over there to ask her now?"

"That was the plan," she replied nervously.

Tim couldn't help but be hesitant about letting Joyce do something like that.  There were so many times that Joyce had heard leads about her missing daughter and they had always ended up being wrong.  He didn't want to see her hurt, especially when it had been so long ago.  He couldn't fault her for being hopeful about it, but if she was wrong it wouldn't be good.

"Joyce, why don't you let me do some research first?" he suggested.  "I'll try and find out some more about this girl before you go and ask her."

"But what if it's _her_?" she asked.

He took hold of her hands and gave them a gentle squeeze.  "Joyce, she's not going anywhere.  She works for you, so even if she leaves town, she has to tell you first.  I'll find out, okay?"

Joyce nodded reluctantly and let two tears fall down her cheeks.  Tim reached out and wiped them away gently.

"Come on, love.  I'll drive you home," he said.

She just nodded and let herself be lead to the car, leaning against her husband as he drove them towards their house.

Tim didn't know whether to pray that this Beth Giles girl _was_ Buffy or to hope against hope that she wasn't.  He sighed and just hoped that everything would turn out the way it was meant to.


	19. Ripper

CHAPTER NINETEEN: RIPPER

**Monday: 5pm**

**12th January 1998**

**California: Sunnydale**

Giles grabbed his jacket off the hook near the door and turned to his Slayer who sat on the couch in their small house, curled up on the couch reading.

"I'll be back as soon as I can.  I'd prefer if you didn't leave for patrol before I get home," he said.

She nodded and gave him a smile.  "Works for me."

He just rolled his eyes and grabbed his car keys.

"Try not to break anything."

"Would _I_ do something like that?" she asked, the picture of perfect innocence.  

He laughed and left her to her book.

Five minutes later, she heard something trying to jimmy the lock.  She tensed and grabbed a dagger and a crossbow, her eyes not leaving the door.  She aimed the crossbow so that it would hit the heart of whatever came through the door.

The door opened, and she went to pull the trigger.  She gasped in shock and quickly put the weapon down, running towards the familiar figure and throwing her arms around his neck.

"Ethan!" she cried happily.

"Hey luv," he replied, a smile on his face.  She kissed his cheek and stayed for a long moment in his arms.

"It's so good to see you," she said enthusiastically.

"You too," he said.  "I've got a gift for you."

She gave him a small scowl.  "Ethan, you know you don't have to buy me anything."

"I know, but…I like spoiling you," he admitted.  

He handed her a small box which she took from him.  She opened it slowly, half expecting it to explode.  He had bought her several gag gifts when she was younger, and she had always grown wary of his gifts.

Inside the box was a silver watch, an engraving on the inside.  '_B - I wish I could watch you all the time - E'_

She grinned and hugged him again.  "It's beautiful, thank you."

He smiled sheepishly and helped her put it on.  "Perfect fit.  It suits you, luv."

She smiled and took his hand, leading him over to the couches.

"My Watcher just left, so I don't know when he'll be back," she told him.

He gave her a grin, something that she had missed seeing.  "I know, I saw him.  Never thought I'd see the day when old Ripper had himself a Slayer."

Beth's eyes widened.  "Wait…Giles is…_Giles_ is Ripper?" She began laughing, remembering all the stories that Ethan had told her about what he and Ripper used to get up to.

"Mmm, he was…very different back then," Ethan said.

Beth laughed and sat beside her 'dad', curling up next to him, her head on his shoulder.

"Tell me," she whispered.

He put an arm around her and kissed the top of her head.

"I wasn't very nice back then," he said.

"Doesn't matter what you used to be like," she replied.  "What you're like now is all that counts."

"You've made me go soft," he said gruffly.  

She grinned and took hold of one of his hands.  "And you love me for it anyway."

"Bloody right, I do."

She giggled and sighed in contentment.  She really had missed him.

"So…tell me about my Watcher," she said.

"Well, we met when I was twenty.  He was twenty-one.  He'd just dropped out of Oxford.  He never really wanted to be a Watcher," he told her.

"He told me that too," she said, thinking back to the first conversation she'd had with her Watcher on the plane from London to Ireland.  "I never realised that he got mixed up with _you_."

He poked her in the sides, making her yelp a little.

"He was horribly unhappy about his destiny," Ethan continued.  "He was good at the magicks and so was I.  We took to each other immediately.  We got a group together to practise some darker stuff."

"Eyghon?" she asked.

He nodded and rolled up his sleeve, letting her touch the tattoo that she had always been so fascinated by.  He had explained that to her so many years ago.  He was surprised that she remembered it.  Then again, he was always being surprised by the young girl.

"After what happened with Randall, he went back to the Council," he said.  "I tried to get him to stay, but he said that he'd strayed from what he had been born to do."

"It was his destiny too," Beth replied.

Ethan nodded sadly.  "Trust me to get mixed up with two people who were destined to not only be a Watcher and Slayer, but to be each others Watcher and Slayer.  Ironic when you think about it."

"He's a good man," she said quietly.

"He always was," Ethan agreed.  "Far better than me."

Beth shook her head.  "No one can be better than you Ethan."

"Flatterer," he whispered.

"So then what?  After he went back to the Council?" Beth asked.

"After that, I only saw him a few times.  He was avoiding me something fierce," he explained.  "He wanted to forget about what had happened, but he couldn't.  He devoted himself to studying to be a Watcher."

"You tried to get him to stop didn't you?" she asked quietly.

He nodded.  Beth swallowed hard.  She couldn't imagine anyone beside Giles being her Watcher.  She didn't know why she'd been assigned to a Watcher who was nothing but gentle to her.  She had thought that Travers would have assigned her one of his lackeys so that he could terrorise her even outside of Council walls.

"I did," he admitted.  "I didn't want him to live the life of a Watcher."

"And now?"

"Now, I'm glad that he's your Watcher Buffy.  You couldn't have got a more decent man to look after you," he said.

She nodded, grateful that Ethan didn't really mind that Giles had finally come into being a Watcher.  In a way, she felt slightly guilty for taking Giles away from Ethan.

"So, what happened between you guys?" she asked.

"Well, he ordered me to stay away from him.  I wouldn't of course," he said with a smile. 

She giggled a little.  "Persistence, thy name is Ethan."

"Insolence, thy name is Buffy," he retorted.

She grinned and waited for him to continue.

"So, like I was saying, I didn't want to give him up.  At first, I didn't know why I was so stubborn about it.  There were five others in this gang of ours, but I didn't give a toss whether they stayed or not.  I wanted Ripper to stay though," he said.

"You loved him," she said simply.

"It took me a long time to work that out though," he said sadly.

"Did you two ever…"

He looked at her, surprised that she would ask such a question.  

"No.  We didn't.  Besides which, he's about as straight as they come," he said.

Beth nodded, remembering the way that Giles had looked at Janna when they had been in Romania.  It wasn't fair.  She loved Ethan and she wanted him to be happy.  

"He doesn't know that you're here, does he?" Beth asked suddenly.

"Not a bit.  And I plan on having a ball when he realises it," he answered.

She rolled her eyes, wondering whether or not Ethan would ever grow up.  She hoped that he wouldn't.  The playful nature within the older man had always drawn her to him. 

"You're not planning anything too horrible are you?" she asked.

"Oh, just a bit of mischief," he replied.  "Make him think that I've done something horrible to his precious Slayer."

"Ethan, that's cruel," she said.

He grinned at her.  "At least we'll be able to see that he does really care about you," he said.

"I already know that Ethan," she said.  She did know that, but honestly, she wouldn't mind hearing it from her Watcher.  

Ethan grinned, recognising the look in the young girls eyes.  "Ahh, the Slayer will let me do it.  Excellent.  You just go into the next room when he comes home luv, and we can have a bit of fun."

"He's meant to be able to trust me though," she said hesitantly.  "I don't want to lie to him."

Ethan too hesitated at that.  "Well, you can go to the bathroom or something when he comes home.  Nature calling and all that."

Beth rolled her eyes but agreed to it.  

"So, where's my favourite ex-Potential?" Ethan eventually asked.

"She said she was getting a motel room," Beth explained.  "I wanted her to stay here, but Giles would chuck a fit.  I'm not meant to have friends or anything like that, so…I kinda can't blame him."

Ethan nodded.  He knew that by the sounds of her letters, her Watcher was being incredibly lenient with her.  

"Well, Faith should be alright," Ethan said.  "She's always been incredibly independent.  I asked her if she wanted to wait until I came over here, and she told me that she didn't want to wait another second before seeing you.  She was lucky that the Council had set her up with some money and a passport."

Beth smiled, thankful that Faith had been so quick about it.  Janna had been right about Beth slowly losing her focus.  Having Faith _and _Ethan in town was going to do wonders for her as well.  And she knew that if she, Willow and Xander could work things out, they would be two more reasons to keep fighting the good fight.

Beth went to ask him something else, but she heard keys jingling in the lock.  She stood up and smiled at Ethan.  "Bathroom," she said.

Ethan winked at her and stood up, facing the front door, unable to suppress the grin on his face.  It had been years sine he'd seen his old friend, and he couldn't wait to see what would come about.

------------------------

Giles tried to unlock the door, holding a book under his arms, struggling to balance properly.  He finally opened the door and stepped inside, coming to a dead stop as he saw a familiar grinning face standing in his living room.  Giles' eyes darted around the room, looking for his young Slayer.  

"What?  No hug?" Ethan asked with a grin.

"Where's Beth?" Giles asked coldly.

"She won't be causing us any problems, old chum," Ethan said.

Giles glared at Ethan, feeling his heart speeding up at the thought of Ethan having done something to Beth.

"What did you do to her?" he asked.

"What makes you think I've done anything to her, mate?" Ethan retorted.

"Because I know you, _mate_.  And if you've hurt one hair on her head, I swear to you, I will rip out your throat," Giles threatened.

Beth stood in the bathroom, listening from the doorway.  She'd never heard Giles that angry.  She felt her heart swell with affection for her Watcher. She'd never heard him be protective over her, and she knew that he really did like her.  She wasn't just some charge that he had been forced to look after.

"She's safe," Ethan assured him.

Beth flushed the toilet to alert Giles of her presence in the house.  She left the bathroom, drying her hands for show and looked between Ethan and Giles.

"Hey, you're back.  Did you get what you were after?" she asked her Watcher casually.

Giles looked dumbfounded as he watched Beth take a seat on the couch.  His gaze went back to Ethan.

"What did you do to her?" he asked.

"Maybe you guys should sit down and we could talk.  All of us," she suggested.

Giles looked confused, but Ethan was quick to sit down beside Beth.  

"Actually, that's a good idea," Ethan said, shooting a look towards Giles.  "I have some information that your girl might want to hear."

Beth looked at him curiously and he winked at her, giving her a comforting smile.  He hadn't mentioned anything like that to her when Giles hadn't been there.  

Giles approached with caution and sat himself down opposite Ethan, not letting his eyes tray from his old friend.  It was making him nervous to have Ethan so close to Beth, and Beth was seemingly oblivious to the power that Ethan had.

"What brings you to Sunnydale anyway, Ethan?" Giles asked.

"My daughter," Ethan replied quickly.  

Beth's face lit up in a smile and she quickly hid it.  He'd never called her that before but it sounded right coming from him.

"Your daughter?" Giles asked incredulously.  "Someone was actually unfortunate enough to have to carry your child."

Ethan winced at that.  "Harsh Ripper."

"Don't call me that," Giles snapped.

"Why not?  Afraid your Slayer might find out a few things about you?" Ethan asked.

Giles cast a look towards Beth who was being strangely quiet.  Beth was sitting there trying to picture her Watcher as the man that Ethan had described in so many of his letters.  The infamous Ripper.  The fact that she knew what her Watcher was capable of didn't make any difference to her.  Like she had told Ethan, it didn't matter what sort of a person he had been before.  Only the present person that he was counted.

"I'm not the same man you knew," Giles said.

"No," Ethan replied sadly.  "You're not.  You turned out alright Ripp."

Giles' eyes narrowed in confusion.  He let go of his anger when he saw the desolate look on Ethan's face.

"Why are you really here?" he asked.

Ethan gave him a small and genuine smile, something that Giles hadn't ever seen before.  It startled the Watcher and he couldn't help but wonder what had changed Ethan so much.

"I told you why I was here," Ethan said.

"You really have a daughter?" Giles asked.

Ethan nodded.  

"Best kid a bloke could ever have," he said proudly.  "Real spunky little girl, full of fire and mischief."

"I'll bet," Giles said, a hint of a smile on his face.  "Who's her mum?"

"That's what I've come to tell her actually," Ethan said, looking at Beth.

Beth sat up straighter in her chair, listening intently.

"My girl, she thinks her mum's dead, but…she's not," Ethan said.

Beth went pale and Ethan could see that her hands were shaking.  Beth hadn't ever considered the fact that Travers could have lied to her about her parents.

"I'm still trying to find her.  Her mum thinks that her littlun disappeared twelve years ago," Ethan explained.  "Poor little chit was snatched out of a hospital in New York and taken to London."

"What are you talking about Ethan?" Giles asked.

Ethan just looked at his old friend.  "I'm talking about your Slayer, and I'm talking about her mum still being very much alive."

Giles looked at Beth who was shaking horribly.

"_You _are Beth's father?" Giles asked incredulously.

Ethan shook his head.  "I wish to God I was, but…she's not really my daughter."

"How do you know her then?" Giles asked.

"You know how I said that she was snatched out of the hospital?" Ethan said.  "Well, that was me doing the snatching."

"For the Council, I assume?" Giles asked.  He had heard that Travers was working for the Council on occasion, doing the dirty work that no one else wanted to do. 

"For the Council," Ethan said.  "And not a day goes by that I don't wish I hadda just turned around and taken 'er back home."

Beth finally found her voice.

"My mom…she's alive?" she asked.

Ethan turned to her and took one of her hands in his.  "She is.  I'm trying to track her down.  I didn't wanna say anything, but…I had to tell you luv."

Giles could only watch with incredulity on his face.  He'd never seen Ethan be gentle before.  And the obvious affection between Ethan and Beth was strange to see.  But, he could also see that Beth trusted Ethan with her life.

"And my dad?" she asked.

Ethan shook his head.  "He died in the crash Buffy.  I'm sorry."

She nodded and swallowed hard.

"S'okay.  You've been a dad to me," she said.

He smiled softly and pulled her closer to him, ignoring the look that he knew he was getting from Ripper.  

"I'll find her for you luv," he assured her.  "I swear it."

She nodded and leant into him, closing her eyes.  She had never dared to hope to see anyone from her family ever again, and Ethan had just given her hope for meeting her mom.  She couldn't have been more grateful to him.

"Why don't you go patrol, pet?" he asked.  "Me and Ripp have a bit to talk about."

Beth nodded and stood up, giving him a final smile.  She bent down and kissed his cheek.  "Thank you Ethan."

"It's the least I can do for you, Buffy," he said.  "I took you away from her…I owe this to you."

She smiled again and picked up the crossbow she had dropped earlier.  She bypassed the weapons chest and packed a few more items away.  She waved goodbye to her Watcher and left the two men to sit and catch up.

(Lotsa the stuff about Ethan and Ripper was taken from the eps 'Halloween' and 'The Dark Age'.  In no way do I own those ideas…)


	20. Ethan II

CHAPTER TWENTY: ETHAN (II)

**Monday: 6pm**

**12th January 1998**

**California: Sunnydale**

Giles and Ethan stared at each other uncomfortably.  Giles finally broke the silence by standing up and moving to the kitchen.  He got out two glasses and a bottle of Scotch, sitting it on the table in front of him.

"You seem rather taken with her," Giles commented, pouring them both a glass.  He handed the glass to Ethan who took it gratefully.

"I am.  Have been since I met the girl," Ethan replied.

"It shows."

Ethan nodded, knowing that Beth had changed his life.  He couldn't imagine the type of person he would be if she hadn't have come into his life.  He knew that he would have ended up miserable if her hadn't have met her.

"She's hard not to like," Ethan said.

Giles gave a little laugh and nodded.  He had always been taught that becoming attached to your Slayer would be detrimental to being a Watcher.  He had found it to be incredibly useful.  It motivated him to get things right the first time so that Beth would be safe.

"She does tend to grow on you," he admitted.

Ethan scoffed and downed his glass in one gulp.  "Admit it, you were enamoured the second you bloody met her."

"Well…yes, I rather was."

Ethan grinned and refilled his glass.  "I think Quentin bloody Travers is about the only one who didn't fall in love with the girl on first sight."

Giles' gaze narrowed.  "Is it true what they say about him?  About what he did to Beth?"

"If you mean the beatings and the punishments?  Yes.  It's true," Ethan said sadly.

Giles fumed, and Ethan silently agreed.  It had been a long time since Beth had been terrorised by Travers, but the memory was still there for both Beth and Ethan.

"You've seen her back I take it," Ethan said.

Giles nodded.  "Part of it.  She fairly jumped away from me when I went to have another look.  I asked her who'd done it, but she refused to answer.  Looked herself in her room for the afternoon if I recall correctly." 

"She's…she's strong, my Buffy," Ethan said.  "But she hated Travers.  I think the poor girl was frightened terribly by him."

Giles frowned and downed his own glass of Scotch, drinking only half of it.  He swirled the remaining half around the glass.

"Is that why…"

"Why what?" Ethan asked.

"When she first became the Slayer…she…she wouldn't let me touch her," Giles said.

Ethan narrowed his eyes, glaring at the Watcher.  "What were you trying to touch her for?"

Giles rolled his eyes.  "Not like that," he snapped.  "When she was injured.  She wouldn't let me help her unless it was a wound on her arms.  Anywhere that she had to take her shirt off, she wouldn't let me even look at it, no matter how serious."

"She hasn't had a lot of luck with men I'm afraid," Ethan said sadly.

"Did Travers-"

"No," Ethan replied, understanding what Giles was implying.  "He didn't.  One of the trainers tried to.  For weeks she couldn't stand being alone with anyone with a-"

"Yes, I get the point," Giles said, cutting him off.  "That's probably why she jumped away from me when I tried to look at her wounds.  I just assumed she didn't trust me."

"Not you.  Men in general," Ethan explained.  "She seems to be alright now though."

Giles nodded.  "I'd say so.  She formed a fairly solid friendship with a priest in Ireland, I think he helped her tremendously."

"Father Pat?" Ethan asked.

"How do you know about him?" Giles asked.

Ethan pulled out a bundle of letters from him coat pocket and spread them over the table.

"A years worth of letters," Ethan replied.

Giles picked up the letters and scanned over them.  It was Beth's handwriting, he recognised it quite easily.  He read over some of the words, unable to believe how open she was with Ethan.

"She thinks the world of you Ripp," Ethan said softly.

Giles looked up in surprise.  "Really?"

Ethan just nodded.  "When you turned out to be nothing like Travers…and when she realised that she could trust you not to betray her…she loves you."

Giles looked down at the letters again and saw his name in the middle of the page.

Giles has been really great lately.  He's pretty much the only one I can talk to, cos I can't speak Russian.  Stupid Russian language.  I think I'm driving him nuts, but he tries not to show it.  I just wish there were more English speaking people here so I wouldn't bug him so much.  (Oh, remind me to tell you about Dimitri!!)  I'd hate for him to end up hating me.  You'd probably like him Ethan.  He kinda reminds me of you a bit.

"I had no idea that she felt like that," Giles commented.

"She's been pretty lonely.  Slaying's a hard thing to do.  And Buffy's someone who needs others near her," Ethan explained.  "She needs a reason to keep fighting the good fight."

"I never thought I'd see the day when Ethan Rayne was advocating someone fighting for the forces of goodness," Giles said.

Ethan smirked and folded the letters back up, putting them safely back in his pocket.

"I'm fairly certain that Buffy could charm the devil himself if she put her mind to it," Ethan said proudly.

Giles nodded and sat back in his chair, finishing his drink.  He went to pour another but thought better of it.  He had noticed that Beth didn't like him drinking and would be jumpy around him on any night that she found him with alcohol around him.

"Is what you said about her mum true?" Giles asked.

Ethan nodded.  "I wouldn't lie to her, especially not about something like this."

"How did you find out?" Giles asked.

"I have to admit I never really thought about her parents before," Ethan said.  "But when I heard that you were being relocated to California, it made me think about her real family.  Her dad was killed in the car accident, and her mum went into a coma for about a week."

"And meanwhile, little daughter Beth is being kidnapped by sorcerers working for the Council," Giles said angrily.

"Look, you can blame me all you want, but no matter which way you look at it, Buffy Summers was going to end up as the Slayer, no matter what I did," Ethan protested.  "She told me as much when she was eleven years old."

Giles sighed, knowing that it wasn't technically Ethan's fault that he had been following orders.  He had probably been very handsomely rewarded for it. 

"So…what do you know about her mum?" Giles asked.

"Not a lot.  I could only get so much out of the old hospital records.  She was checked in as J.A Summers.  Chances are that her middle name is Anne, seeing as that's Buffy's as well.  But the J could stand for just about anything," Ethan said.

"Did you find an address?" Giles asked.

"I did.  And yes, I've checked it out.  She no longer lives there. I asked the couple who live there now, and they just told me that she had moved away from LA to start over," Ethan explained.  "And for all we know, she could have bloody been married again."

Giles sighed and took off his glasses, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"Would the Council have records of Beth's parents?" Giles asked.

"Probably.  But I'm not exactly on the Council's 'most favourite' list," Ethan said.

"No. Nor am I."

"But…you're a Watcher," Ethan said.

"I'm a Watcher to a Slayer that Quentin Travers described as rebellious and headstrong.  He estimated that she would only live for three months before the next Slayer was called," Giles explained.

Ethan glowered and stood up, beginning to pace.  

"I never understood what that pillock had against her.  Ever since she was a tiny squirt, he's had it in for her," Ethan said.

"I have to admit, I was pleasantly surprised with her abilities," Giles said.  "I had expected her to be incompetent from the way Travers was going on."

"One thing I've learnt about Travers is that the words 'heartless bastard' fall short when trying to describe him," Ethan said.

Giles and Ethan sat in thoughtful silence until Giles had one horrifying thought.

"What happens if her mum doesn't want the girl back in her life?" Giles asked.

"Are you kidding?" Ethan asked incredulously.  "If that girl was my daughter, I'd fight tooth and nail to try and get her back."

Giles pondered Ethan's statement for a moment.

"Here's a thought," Giles said.  "If you were a parent, and your only child went missing…what would be the first thing you would do?"

"Besides go completely insane for a few hours straight?  Report it," Ethan said.  

"Exactly.  Which means that her mum would have reported it," Giles explained.

"Would the case still be open?  It's been over a decade," Ethan said.

"I don't think they ever close those cases," Giles replied.

Ethan thought about that for a moment. 

"So, chances are, we'll be able to track her through police records," he said.

"If we can get our hands on the records without alerting the police.  The Council must know that Beth's mum is still alive.  Travers seemed reluctant to send us to California in the first place, which makes me think that Beth's mum might still be in LA," Giles said.  "He expressly forbid us to go to there."

"And you Ripp?  You're meant to be following their rules," Ethan said.  "Are you gonna keep Buffy from seeing her mum when we find her."

Giles shook his head.  "If there's anything I've learned about Beth, once she's found out about something and put her mind to doing it, there's no stopping her.  Like it or not, her mum's gonna get the shock of her life."

------------------------

Beth found herself outside of Faith's motel, her hands still shaking.  She'd completely by-passed all of the cemeteries, not feeling fit to be out slaying.  She stood nervously and eventually knocked on Faith's door.  Faith answered and took one look at her friend before grabbing Beth's shaking hands and pulling her inside. 

Without a word, Beth let her tears flow while Faith just sat her down on the bed and held her as she cried.


	21. Dawn

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE: DAWN

**Tuesday: 9am**

**13th January 1998**

**California: Sunnydale**

Beth walked into the museum and completely missed the hopeful look on Joyce Stanton's face as the older woman looked at Beth intently.  A tugging on Joyce's hand shocked her out of her scrutiny of her newest employee and possible daughter.

"Mom."

Beth looked across and saw ten-year-old Dawn Stanton standing beside Joyce.  Beth smiled, thinking that the girl was absolutely adorable.

"You must be Dawn," Beth said.

Dawn turned her attention away from her mom and looked towards the new comer.  

"Yeah.  Do you work here?" Dawn asked.

Beth nodded.  "Yup.  You're mom hired me a few days ago.  I'm Beth." 

"You come here voluntarily?" Dawn asked with a smile.  

Joyce gave a mock sigh and smiled as Beth laughed.

"This stuff's pretty cool if you give it half a chance," Beth said.

Dawn looked up at Beth as though she had grown another head.  "No way."

"I'm serious," Beth said.  She took hold of Dawn's hand and walked towards a display of ancient weaponry.

"Look at this one here," Beth said, pointing to the broadsword that she had been admiring the other day.  "That sword is rumoured to have belonged to King Arthur.  This was the sword that he pulled from the stone.  No one else in the entire kingdom could pull it out, but Arthur could.  No one wanted to let him try though, because he wasn't anyone special.  He was a little bit older than you when he did it."

Dawn listened, rapt by the story.

"And he became King?" she asked.

"Yup.  Every kingdom needs a king, or else you'd just have a dom, and then where would you be?" Beth teased.

Dawn giggled and pointed to a shield.

"Was that his too?"

"Yup," Beth replied.  "He'd use that when he went into battle."

"Did he joust?" Dawn asked.

Beth shrugged a little.  "He might have.  I don't think they let royalty joust in the proper matches though.  Too dangerous."

"But King Arthur sounds all brave and stuff," Dawn protested.

"He was all 'brave and stuff'," Beth said.  "He was the bravest knight in all of Camelot.  But they didn't want him getting hurt any more than he had to."

"Kinda like mom doesn't like me getting into fights when I don't have to," Dawn said.

Beth looked at her, shocked by her words.

"Is that why you aren't at school?  You got into a fight?" Beth asked.

Dawn nodded sheepishly.  

"Did you start it or did they?" Beth asked.

"He started it!"

"He?  He who?" Beth asked.

"Jeremy Wilcox," Dawn replied.  "He was being all mean cos I did better than him on a test."

"But you hit him first, didn't you?" Beth asked gently.

Dawn went to say no, but found herself nodding instead.  "He was being mean, so…I hit him."

"You know you shouldn't hit people," Beth said.  She almost laughed, knowing that if Faith heard her, she would be on the floor in fits of laughter right about now.  

"I know, but…he so deserved it," Dawn said.

"Does he tease you a lot?" 

Dawn nodded sadly.  

"And you've told a teacher about this?" Beth asked.

"Well…not exactly," she admitted.

"If you don't tell, he's not going to stop.  Or, if you don't want to tell, then just ignore him.  If you don't give him a reaction he'll give up and walk away," Beth said.

"You think so?" Dawn asked.

"I know so.  I swear it on King Arthur's sword," Beth said with a grin.

Dawn giggled and found herself hugging the blonde girl.

Joyce just looked at the two girls, spell bound.  If Beth truly was her daughter, then she knew that her family could cope through the transition.  Dawn already seemed to adore the older girl.  And Beth seemed to be just as taken with Dawn.

"Alright, miss," Joyce said.  "You're meant to be doing punishment here."

Dawn scowled and untangled herself from Beth.  

"Fine."

Beth held back a grin.  

"Perhaps she could help you out for the day Beth," Joyce said.

"Sure thing.  Just tell me what you need done," Beth said.

Dawn grinned and held back a squeal.  She hadn't been expecting for this day to be almost fun.

Joyce quickly gave Beth instructions, and Beth committed them to memory.  She grabbed Dawn by the hand and led her towards the back of the museum where they were going to sort through a new shipment, cataloguing the items.  It was dull work that Joyce didn't particularly like doing, but Beth hadn't seemed to mind doing it the other day, so Joyce didn't see why she couldn't get the girl to do more.

Joyce hung back in the doorway and watched Beth and Dawn interacting with each other.  Dawn would ask question after question which Beth would answer with seemingly endless patience.  If Beth didn't know the answer, she would make up something fantastical, and encouraged Dawn to do the same.

Joyce smiled and turned away with tears in her eyes.  She could only hope that Tim found out more about the girl that she was desperately praying was her daughter.

(I am aware that King Arthur's sword wouldn't be in a Sunnydale museum, so please don't point that out *grins*.  It was all I could think of without doing any real research.)

------------------------

Beth and Dawn were attached at the hip all day, and had meticulously gone through the two boxes that had needed to be unpacked.  There were a few items that Beth wanted to research when she returned home, but they didn't seem to be anything to worry about.

When Dawn complained of hunger around noon, Beth finally agreed that they could take a break.  She knocked on the door to Joyce's office and entered cautiously.  She found Joyce sitting at her desk staring at the photo that she hadn't been able to ask about the other day.

"Joyce?" she called.

Joyce looked up and smiled gently at Beth.

"I'm just gonna take Dawn and grab some lunch," she said.  "Did you want us to get you anything?"

"Oh, no that's fine," Joyce replied.  "Just be back in forty five minutes."

"Sure thing.  You don't mind me taking Dawnie do you?"

"No, that's alright.  Just make sure she eats something besides sugar."

Beth grinned and nodded. 

"Sure thing."

With that, Beth and Dawn walked out of the gallery towards the small sets of shops that lined the main street.  They walked into a coffee house called the Espresso Pump, and Beth was shocked to see Ethan and Giles sitting at a table happily chatting together.

She walked up to them, Dawn beside her.

"Well, isn't this just a picture," she teased.

Giles looked up, startled.  He smiled at her.  "Beth, hello."

"Oh, guys this is Dawn.  Dawn, this is my Uncle Giles and…my dad, Ethan," Beth said, unsure how to describe her relationship with Ethan.

"Hey," Dawn said, giving them a shy smile.

"Did you two lovely ladies want to join us for lunch?" Ethan offered.  "My shout."

Beth shot Dawn a grin.  "We can't pass up on free food, hey Dawnie?"

Dawn shook her head and smiled at the older girl.

Ethan stood and moved to sit beside Giles on his side of the table, leaving Beth and Dawn to sit next to each other.

"How's your second day at work luv?" Ethan asked.

Beth grinned.  "Good.  I've got a helper today, so it's gone by pretty quickly."

Ethan smiled towards Dawn and winked at her.  "She needs all the help she can get, hey?"

Dawn giggled, and Ethan could see why Beth had brought her along to lunch.  She was almost as adorable as Buffy had been when she had been that age.

"She knows heaps of stuff," Dawn said, defending her newest friend.  "More stuff than I know."

"You'll learn it Dawnie," Beth assured her.  "You just have to remember that learning isn't always boring."

Dawn rolled her eyes, but took Beth's words to heart.  She had enjoyed listening to Beth tell her about all the artefacts that they had been cataloguing earlier, but she wasn't about to tell Beth that she had enjoyed learning.

"So…what can I treat you lovely women to?" Ethan asked.

"Oh, you know me Ethan. I can't go past a burger and fries," Beth said.

Dawn looked between Beth and Ethan in confusion.  "Why do you call your dad by his first name?"

"Oh, uh…well, he's not really my dad Dawnie.  I just think of him as one," Beth tried to explain.  "My real dad died a long time ago."

Dawn looked saddened at that.  She couldn't imagine her life without her dad in it.  

"Anyways, what did you wanna eat?" Beth asked.

"I'll just have the same as you," Dawn replied.

Beth nodded and looked to Ethan.  "Sure thing.  Two burgers and two chips coming up."

Ethan regarded the younger of the two girls curiously.  "Aren't you supposed to be at school?"

Dawn flushed a little. 

"Uh…sorta."

"You're not playing hooky are you?" he asked.

"No!" she replied quickly.  "They…I was told not to come back for two days."

"She got in a fight," Beth said.

Ethan held back a grin. 

"I hope Beth told you that fighting wasn't an option," Giles said, his eyes sparkling with mischief. 

Beth looked towards her Watcher, shocked at the playfulness that he was displaying.  It suited him rather well.  She wondered what he and Ethan had ended up doing all night to make them into such good friends today.  She could only hope that they had finally buried the past and begun on a brighter path for the future.

"She did," Dawn said, a little dejectedly.  "She said to just walk away."

"Quite right," Giles said.  He winked at his Slayer who gave a little laugh.  Beth shot a look at Ethan who just shrugged innocently.

"So…what's the what here guys?" Beth asked.

"Well, lunch obviously," Ethan replied.  "After that, we'll be starting on that project we were discussing last night."

Beth nodded and gave him a nervous smile.  "Good."

"What project?" Dawn asked nosily.

"Nothing for you to worry about," Ethan assured her.  He was saved when their meals arrived and Dawn became preoccupied with eating rather than asking questions.

"How was your walk last night, Buffy?" Ethan asked pointedly.

"My walk?" she repeated.  She quickly caught on.  "Oh.  That walk.  Yeah, it was alright."

She had left Faith's at about one in the morning and had walked back to Giles', staking two vamps who were on the hunt.  She hadn't patrolled properly, she had been too upset to even try to do so.

"Buffy?" she asked, looking towards Beth.

"It's a nickname," Beth replied.  "Ethan's about the only one who calls me that."

"Can I call you that?" Dawn asked.

"Yeah, sure.  But not in front of your mom, alright?" she said.  "She's meant to see me as a professional person."

Dawn nodded, laughing a little at Beth's expression as she said 'professional'.  She liked how Beth treated her like an equal rather than as a kid.  It was refreshing.  As much as Dawn liked Willow, Willow tended to treat her as a child.  Beth wasn't like that, and Dawn found herself drawn to it.

------------------------

"Did you have fun today sweetie?" Tim asked his daughter as they cleaned up the table after dinner.  Joyce had gone upstairs to finish some paperwork that hadn't got done while she had been at the gallery.

"Yeah, it was funner than I thought it'd be," Dawn said.

"More fun, princess," Tim corrected.  "Funner isn't a word."

Dawn nodded and handed her dad another plate.

"I was helping catalogue stuff with Buffy," Dawn said.

Tim very nearly dropped the plate that Dawn had just handed him.  He turned to his daughter and looked at her, Dawn not realising that her father had very nearly just dropped Joyce's very expensive china.

"Buffy?  The new girl?" Tim asked, his heart in his throat.

"Yeah.  Well, her name's really Beth, but…her dad calls her Buffy,"' Dawn explained.

"Her dad?" Tim asked.

"Yeah.  'Scept she said he wasn't really her dad.  She said her dad had died a long time ago," Dawn said, her voice suddenly small.  She stopped forward and hugged her dad around the waist.  "I dunno what I'd do without you daddy." 

He hugged her back and swallowed hard.  Perhaps his wife had been right about the girl she had just hired.  How many people named 'Beth' would have the nickname 'Buffy' and be born on the 20th of January?  

Twenty minutes later, he sent Dawn up to bed and gave his wife a feeble excuse about going to meet a colleague for a drink.  He grabbed Beth Giles' address from the papers that Joyce had brought home the other night without Joyce realising that he had taken them and headed towards the address that Beth had given.


	22. Beth II

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO: BETH (II)

Tuesday: 10pm 

**13th January 1998**

**California: Sunnydale**

Tim Stanton knocked on the apartment door nervously.  He wasn't sure what he would say exactly, but he needed to know if this girl was the real deal, or if this was some sort of an elaborate hoax.  

He breathed in deeply as he heard the door open.

"Can I help you?" 

Tim looked at the man who had answered the door.

"Are you Mr Giles?" he asked.

"No, I'm not," he replied.  

"Does a Mr Giles live here?" Tim asked.

Ethan nodded and Tim breathed a sigh of relief.  

"Could I speak with him?" he asked.

"What is this about?" Ethan asked curiously.

"Please, I have to speak with him.  Its important."

Giles walked up behind Ethan and gently pushed the other man out of the doorway.

"I'm Rupert Giles.  What can I do for you?" he asked politely.

"May I come in?" Tim asked.

Giles hesitated for a moment, but moved back, being sure not to give a verbal invitation.  He breathed a sigh of relief when Tim walked in with no troubles.

"My name's Timothy Stanton," Tim said.

"What can I do for you Mr Stanton?" Giles asked.

"It's…well…about…about your niece," Tim said.

Giles looked at him curiously, feeling his heart begin to race.

"What about her?"

Tim caught the note of panic in his voice and rushed to reassure him.

"Oh, she's not in trouble or anything.  She's…look, Joyce, my wife…well…I know this is going to sound crazy, but…my wife thinks that your niece may be her daughter.  And I think that she may be right," Tim blurted out.

Ethan and Giles exchanged looks.  They had been going through police records from the last ten years, and here the answer had basically been dropped onto their laps.

"What did you say her name was?" Ethan asked.

"Joyce," Tim replied.

"And her maiden name?" 

"Summers.  Joyce Anne Summers.  Well, that was her last married name."

Ethan's face lit into a grin.  "That's her," Ethan said.  "J.A Summers."

Tim looked between the two men, shocked.  "Wait…you're saying that Joyce was right?  Beth really is Joyce's daughter?"

Giles removed his glasses and looked at the other man.  "It looks to be that way.  Until recently, we thought Mrs Summers to be deceased."

Tim looked at the man suspiciously.  "Where the hell has she been all these years?  Joyce searched the country for her, and she never found her."

"She was in England," Ethan replied, bitterness showing in his voice.  "That's why she couldn't be found in the States."

Tim went to say more but was interrupted when someone burst through the door.  He looked towards her shocked.  It was a young blonde girl, no older than seventeen.  She seemed to be bleeding rather badly from her arm.

Both Ethan and Giles jumped up, simultaneously calling her name.  

"Buffy!" "Beth!"

Ethan raced towards her, helping her to a seat, Giles rushing to the bathroom to retrieve the first aid kit.  He emerged and knelt in front of her, expertly fixing the cuts and wrapping the carefully.

"What did this?" Giles asked quickly.

"It's alright Giles," she whispered.  "Nothing poisonous.  Just hurts like hell."

"You've lost a lot of blood luv," Ethan said quietly.

"I'll be okay," she said.

"Maybe we should take her to a hospital," Ethan said to Giles.

"No!" Beth protested.  "I'm fine.  Both of you, stop worrying."

She finally noticed the other man standing in the room with them.  Both Ethan and Giles seemed to remember Tim at the exact same moment and simultaneously cleared their throats.  Beth giggled a little but stopped when Ethan glared at her.  

"So, I see you guys have been making friends with the locals," Beth said, trying to clear the awkward silence.

"Yes, something like that," Giles said.  Ethan sat beside Beth who immediately cuddled up beside him, her eyes closing tiredly.

Tim looked on, wondering who exactly these two men were and why his wife's daughter had been so badly injured like that.  She was obviously comfortable with both of them, and he had to wonder where exactly the girl had been the entire time.

"I'm taking her to bed," Ethan said, picking Beth up gently.

Tim glared at him, but Ethan completely missed it.  Giles didn't though.  When Ethan was out of earshot, Giles just lifted his eyebrows at the other man.

"He doesn't mean it that way you know," Giles said.  "That man's been a father to her for about five years now."

"I don't understand," Tim said, sitting down on the newly vacated couch.  "Why was she taken to England?  Why has she only just come back now?  Why do the two of you call her different names?  And what the hell happened to her arm?"

Giles sat down on the single chair and made himself comfortable, knowing that this would be a long night.

"Mr Stanton, what do you know about this town?" Giles asked.

"It's about two hours from LA."

Giles struggled to hold in a groan.  The people of this town really were oblivious when it came to the nightlife of the area.

"Have you ever noticed anything…odd?" he asked.

"Odd?  Like what?"

"Such as the death count?  Such as too many suspicious wild dog attacks?" Giles suggested. 

Tim thought for a moment and finally nodded.  "Now that you mention it, yes.  What does this have to do with Buffy?"

"Mr Stanton, I'm about to tell you something that will make you believe I should be committed to the nearest asylum, but I'm trusting you with this, because you've seen too much already," Giles said.  "There are creatures that roam this earth, demons that wish to kill people."

Tim looked at Giles incredulously.  "You really should be committed."

Giles rolled his eyes and leaned forward in his seat.  

"I can prove it to you if you'd like me to," Giles said.

Ethan chose that moment to come down the stairs.  "She's asleep.  Poor girl.  She's completely knackered."

"Is he serious about there being demons?" Tim blurted out.

Ethan looked between Tim and Giles.  "Oh, so he told you about that then," Ethan commented casually.  "So much for that secrecy oath you took."

"You're serious," Tim said.

Giles nodded.

"And Buffy fits into this where?" he asked.

"In every generation, there is a Chosen One.  She alone can stand against the vampires, the demons and the Forces of Darkness.  She is the Slayer," Giles recited.  It was the easiest way to explain things.

"A Slayer?"

Ethan nodded sadly.  "It sounds deranged, we know, but…if you could see that girl dance…you'd believe that she was the Slayer."

"Dance?" Tim repeated.

"He means, if you could see her fight," Giles clarified.  "She's a wonderful fighter."

"But why her?  Why Buffy?  Why take her away from her family?" Tim asked angrily.

"No one knows who gets Chosen, or why they are Chosen.  It's no ones fault that Beth happened to be Chosen.  These girls are taken from their families in order to train them properly, to help them hone their skills," Giles explained.  "Beth was taken when she was five."

"We searched for her for years, and you're telling me that some strange organisation had her the entire time?" Tim asked.

"Essentially, yes," Giles said.

"So, we could sue your asses off for kidnapping and terrorising innocent young girls," Tim said.

"I think you'll find it very hard to sue us Mr Stanton," Giles said.  Tim was surprised to hear regret in the British man's voice.  "The Council's methods are archaic, but they believe in the cause.  You'd never win against them."

"The cause?" Tim asked.

"The good fight," Ethan said.  "Good versus Evil.  That's how Buffy explains it."

"And the two of you?  Why do you call her Buffy?" he asked, looking at Ethan.  He turned to Giles.  "And why do you call her Beth?"

"I met her when she still went by Buffy.  Before she started her training," Ethan admitted.  "Rupert here only met her a little over a year ago."

Tim sat back in his seat, not entirely sure what else to say.  He knew that his wife wanted her daughter back more than anything in the world.  But, to have it come at this price, with this explanation seemed to be too much.  It seemed too fantastical, too unbelievable.  And yet, Tim was taking it at face value.

"And Buffy…or Beth?  What does she think about all of this?" Tim asked.

"She helps people," Ethan said quietly.  "She's proud of what she does."

"She told you that?" Tim asked.

Ethan nodded and once more got out the letter that were in his jacket pocket.

He handed Tim the latest letter.  "About four paragraphs in, if you're after proof."

Tim began reading aloud:

"It's worth fighting for Ethan.  I never really understood why the others did it when they were Called, but…I get it.  Every person I save…it's one more life that someone gets to live.  These people need my help and more than anything, I want to give it to them.  There's these two kids here in Sunnydale who I've kinda become friends with.  Janna was right.  I needed more tangible reasons to fight.  You and Faith will always be my top two reasons, but…these people that I barely know…they're worth saving."  

"Who's Faith?" Tim asked.

Giles too looked a little curious at that.

"Her best friend," Ethan replied.  "A girl she met over three years ago."  

"She was another Potential, wasn't she?" Giles asked.

Ethan nodded.  "Yes.  They were close…extremely close.  They still are."

"I had no idea," Giles said softly.  

"She was afraid that you would make her give both of us up if you ever found out about the letters," Ethan said.  "She was so used to Travers' punishments that she lost her faith in the Council.  But she does trust you."

"Punishments?" Tim asked.

Ethan winced at that and looked apologetically at Giles.

"It's a uh…very strict training facility," Giles explained.

Tim's eyes narrowed.  "How strict?" 

"Travers made Hitler look like the bleeding Easter bunny," Ethan said angrily.

"You didn't approve of Buffy being there?" Tim asked Ethan.

Ethan shook his head.  "Never.  But, she explained it to me one day.  She always had the simplest explanations for things.  Still does.  She told me that it was fate.  Just fate.  There was nothing anyone could have done differently.  We play a role in bringing people to where they're meant to be.  Buffy is meant to be the Slayer.  And nothing and no one can change that, no matter how much they want to."

Tim tried to take in what was being said, but he knew that where his wife was concerned, she would just want Buffy to be at home.

"So…what happens now?" Tim asked.  

"We figure out a way to reunite them, I suppose," Giles suggested.

"She works at the gallery that Joyce runs," Tim said.  "That's what made Joyce so suspicious.  The name and her date of birth made her a bit curious."

"This is a lot to try and take in," Giles said, ever the practical one.   "Perhaps Joyce should be told before we tell Beth.  If, for some reason, Joyce decided that she didn't particularly want a nearly seventeen-year-old girl in her life, Beth would be crushed."

"Trust me when I say that Joyce wants Buffy back," Tim said.  "She's been obsessed about it for years."

Giles nodded and looked towards the top of the staircase where Beth's room was.

"Still.  Joyce should have a say in how we deal with this.  She is Beth's only blood relative in all of this," Giles said. "And if Joyce already suspects the truth about this situation, then it should be confirmed for her."

"Well, she's asleep at the moment," Tim said.  "As much as she would want to know this very second, I'm reluctant to do this right now."

"Buffy's too tired at the moment anyway mate," Ethan said.  "Best to leave it 'til morning, I'd say."


	23. Summers

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE: SUMMERS

**Wednesday: 7am**

**14th January 1998**

**California: Sunnydale**

Tim hadn't slept too well that evening, the thought of his wife's first daughter rolling through his head.  He couldn't believe that Buffy was in Sunnydale, alive and well.  He tried to forget about the Slayer parts of it and just tried to focus on the rest.  Buffy Summers was alive!

He groaned and rolled over in bed, wondering how to break this news to his wife.  He reached out to touch her, but found only an empty space beside him.  He opened his eyes and saw a note lying on the pillow.

"_Hey hun, I wanted to get a bit more work done earlier this morning.  I've taken Dawn with me.  Love you!  J_."

'Typical,' he thought tiredly.  'The one morning I have to tell her the most exciting news, and she goes to work early.'  He rolled his eyes and figured that it could wait until they were both home from work.

------------------------

Beth walked into the gallery a smile on her face.  She had slept surprisingly well the previous night, dreams of her real family coming through the walls of her memory.  She couldn't really get a good enough picture of either of her parents, but she had remembered the way she had felt around them.  Safe, loved, protected.  She had been scared at times, but she had always known that she was loved.

Joyce looked up to see who had walked into the gallery.  She looked surprised to see Beth standing there.

"Oh, Bu – Beth," she said, almost slipping.  She still wasn't certain whether it was true.  She had desperately prayed for it to be true though.  "You weren't meant to be working today."

Beth smiled and nodded.  "I know.  I just thought Id come and volunteer for Dawn duty," Beth said.  "I'm gonna go crazy if I stay at home today, so…I thought I'd come and see if you needed a hand with anything."

Joyce smiled, wondering where this girl had learned generosity and self-sacrifice.  It was almost too good to be true.

"That would be appreciated.  I might be able to pay you a little for it," Joyce said.

Beth waved her hand at the offer.  "Joyce, I'm volunteering for this," she said.  "To do that, it means I don't get paid.  Seriously, if you need the help, I'd love to hang with her."

"She said pretty much the same thing," Joyce said.  "She was kinda sad when I told her you weren't working today."

"Well, I'd love to take her off your hands," Beth offered.  

Joyce thought for a moment.  "Well, she needs some help completing some assignments for school.  Missing two days was going to make her fall behind, so her teachers gave her the homework.  She didn't get a chance to do it last night, and if I know Dawn, she'll be bugging me for help all day."

"I'll see what I can do for her," Beth said with a laugh.

Joyce smiled and led them towards her office where Dawn was seated at Joyce's desk, schoolbooks strewn across the desk.  Dawn looked up and her eyes lit with excitement when she saw Beth.

"Hey!" Dawn cried.

Beth grinned at the younger girl.  She didn't know why she was so attached to Dawn, but she knew that she definitely liked the younger girl.  Dawn kind of reminded her of Chloe from the Council.

"Hey Dawnster.  I hear you might need a bit of help with your school stuff," Beth said.

"Do I ever!" Dawn replied.

Beth turned to Joyce before Joyce could leave them alone.  

"Do you need your office?  Cos I can take her to the park or something.  Get some air and do some work," Beth suggested.

"That would be helpful actually," Joyce said.  "I was wondering where I would do all my paperwork."

Beth nodded and looked towards Dawn. "Come on then.  You heard your mom.  Let's go!"

Dawn grinned and quickly packed up her books in her school bag, racing out the door, giving her mom a quick kiss on the cheek.  

"I'll make sure she gets lunch," Beth assured Joyce.

"Oh, let me give you some money," Joyce said.

Beth just shook her head.  "My shout."

"Are you sure?" Joyce asked worriedly. 

Beth just grinned.  "Trust me, if I couldn't afford it, I would have accepted your offer."

With that, Beth and Dawn left the gallery, leaving Joyce to hope that Beth did end up being her eldest daughter.  

------------------------

Beth and Dawn settled themselves down on a grassy patch in the park, lying on their stomachs in the sun, Dawn's schoolbooks spread in front of her.

"Mom never lets me do my homework sitting like this," Dawn said.

"Well, we better not tell you mom about this then," Beth said.  "I'd probably get fired or something."

"Nah, mom really likes you."

"You think?" Beth asked.

"Yup," Dawn replied.  "I think she thinks you're a good influence or something."

"Buffy Summers, a good influence," came a voice from behind them.  "Who woulda thunk it?"

Both Dawn and Beth rolled to see who had spoken.  Beth grinned when see saw Faith standing above them.

"Hey Faith," Beth greeted.  "This is Dawn.  Dawn, my best friend, Faith."

Faith knelt down beside Beth and lay on her stomach as Beth and Dawn did the same.

"Hey kid," Faith greeted.

Dawn's eyes narrowed.   "I'm _not_ a _kid_."

Faith just nodded.  "Sure you're not."

Dawn rolled her eyes.  She was used to being patronised by Willow's best friend Xander.  And, like Beth had told her the day before, she should just ignore the teasing rather than react to it.

"So, what's going on?" Faith asked.

"Homework," Dawn replied miserably.

"Ooo, fun," Faith said sarcastically.  "Hey, aren't you meant to be in school?"

"I got suspended," Dawn said sheepishly.

Faith's eyes lit up, obviously impressed.  "You?  Suspended?  What for?  Stealing a twinkie?"

"I got in a fight," Dawn answered.

"I told her that fighting wasn't the way to handle problems," Beth said, grinning at Faith.

"She's right Dawn," Faith said, fighting a laughing fit.  "Fighting's definitely not the way to solve anything."

"I know," Dawn said grudgingly, not catching the way the brunette's mouth was twitching at the corners.  "Buffy said to ignore them til they go away."

"B's right," Faith said.  "Sides, if you keep missing school, then you'll hafta keep doing a couple of days worth of work at once."

Dawn's nose wrinkled at the idea.  Faith moved quickly and sat up cross-legged.

"I gotta jet B.  Just wanted to make sure you were alright," Faith said, concern evident in her voice and in her eyes.

Beth nodded.  "Yeah, I'm alright.  I'll fill you in later, alright?"

"Sure thing," Faith said.

"I meant to say thanks, by the way.  For the other night," Beth said.

Faith grinned and shrugged it off.  "S'what friends are for, remember?"

Beth smiled and touched Faith's hand softly. 

"Still.  You really came through for me."

Faith grinned and stood up.  She nudged Beth's leg with her foot.  "I'll catch up with ya sometime tonight then.  Later D, B."

Dawn waved and looked back down at her schoolwork.  Beth just watched until she could no longer see Faith anymore.

"What did she help you with?" Dawn asked curiously.

"Just some family stuff," Beth replied.  

"Are you guys related?" Dawn asked.

"Nah, not really.  She's kinda like a sister and a best friend rolled into one," Beth explained.

Dawn nodded and chewed on the end of her pencil thoughtfully.  "I wish I'd had a sister," she said.

"Yeah?  Older or younger?" Beth asked.

"Older," Dawn replied.  "One of mom's employees, Willow, she's pretty cool.  She's kinda like a sister.  But…I dunno.  If I had a sister, I think I'd want her to be like you."

Beth grinned and poked Dawn in the ribcage.  "Well, if I had a little sis, I'd want her to be like you, too."

Dawn grinned.  "Thanks."

Beth pointed to Dawn's schoolwork and watched as Dawn rolled her eyes.  

"Do I really hafta do this?  It's so nice outside today.  Couldn't we just…I dunno, go for a walk or something?" she complained.

"We can go for a walk when you're done," Beth said.  "You're mom would gut me if you didn't finish this stuff."

Dawn sighed and went back to her work.  She stopped suddenly as she thought of something.

"The form you filled out for my mom when you got the job…it said your last name was Giles," Dawn said. 

"Yeah?"

"And Faith called you Buffy _Summers_," Dawn continued.

Beth had forgotten about that.  She tended to forget important details like that whenever Faith was around.  She couldn't explain it even if she had tried.

"Well, my uncle prefers it when I use his name on papers and stuff.  It just makes it easier for us if we've got the same last name," Beth explained.

Dawn nodded, thinking that Beth's explanation had been sufficient.  She went back to her work and completed it with some prompting and help from the other girl. 


	24. Mr Gordo

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR: MR GORDO

**Wednesday: 4pm**

**14th January 1998**

**California: Sunnydale**

Beth and Dawn walked into the gallery, their arms linked, chatting happily about anything and nothing.  Dawn had been shocked by Beth's lack of knowledge about teenage boy bands, and had happily rambled on about who was better, N*Sync or Backstreet Boys.  Beth had taken it all in, and could only wonder how people could find entertainment in bands where the people were chosen by their looks and their dancing abilities rather than their singing talents

Joyce looked up when she heard the familiar sounds of Dawn's voice coming through the gallery.

"Hey girls," she greeted.  "Did you get your work finished?" 

Dawn grinned happily.  "Yep.  All done.  Mr McAllister can't yell at me now."

Joyce smiled and turned towards Beth.

"She wasn't any trouble, was she?" she asked.

"Trouble?  The Dawnster?  I think you've got her mixed up with someone else," Beth teased.

Dawn giggled and looked almost shocked when her mom did the same.  Dawn had never seen her mom looking so…peaceful before.  There had always been an air of sadness around her mom that Dawn had never understood.

Tim and Joyce hadn't ever explained to Dawn about Joyce's first daughter.  They had agreed that if the always spoke about Buffy in front of Dawn, then she would grow up feeling inadequate and jealous of her older half-sister. 

"Seriously," Beth continued, "she was fine.  We got her work done, we had lunch and we went for ice cream afterwards."

"And I met Faith," Dawn added.

"Who's Faith?" Joyce asked with confusion.

"My best friend," Beth explained.  "She's visiting Sunnydale for a while, just to see what it is that I've got myself into."

"She's from England as well?" Joyce asked.

She was curious as to what sort of a life Beth had had in England, and couldn't help but be thankful that her daughter sounded as though she had had friends while she was there.  She still couldn't help but wonder why someone had taken her to England in the first place, and it was one of the many questions she would ask if Beth turned out to be her eldest daughter.

"She moved there when she was fourteen," Beth explained.  "She was only there for about four years."

"Oh, so she's older than you," Joyce commented absently. 

"A year and eighteen days older," Beth answered.  She and Faith had calculated the difference when they had first become friends.

Dawn looked towards her mom and smiled when an idea popped into her head.

"Mom, could Buf – Beth come over for dinner tonight?" she asked.

"Well, that's up to Beth, honey," she replied.  She looked towards Beth who was looking thoughtful.  "Would you like to join us?  You're more than welcome.  You'd be able to meet Tim."

Beth flushed a little as she remembered that Joyce had told Tim that Beth had thought he was a spunk.

"And completely embarrass myself in the process," Beth said with a smile.  

"Oh come on," Dawn pleaded.  "You should come!"

Beth hesitated but eventually agreed.  "I'll have to ask my uncle.  He's kinda strict for the first few weeks when we're in a new place."

"You've moved around a lot?" Joyce asked.

Beth nodded.

"We went from London to somewhere in Ireland that I could never pronounce the name of.  Uh, we went from there to St Petersburg in Russia, and then to Romania.  Then we came here," Beth explained.

Dawn looked incredibly impressed.  She'd never met someone who had travelled around so much.  She'd grown up in Sunnydale, and the farthest she'd been was to LA.  

"It sounds like an exciting life," Joyce commented.  She was thrilled that her daughter hadn't missed out on the pleasures of life.  Hearing that she was well travelled and had obviously grown up in a place that taught her to be kind was a nice feeling.  She had always worried about what the people who had taken her daughter were doing to her.  At least now, she knew that Beth had been well treated.

"It is a bit.  It was kinda hard though," Beth admitted.  "For about ten months I was in countries where people couldn't speak English.  I tried picking up the languages, but by the time I'd got the hang of one, we'd moved again."

"But you're staying here right?" Dawn asked.  "You are staying in Sunnydale?"

"For a while.  I'm not too sure how long I'll be here.  It's kinda up to my uncle's employers."

Dawn frowned but then brightened.  Beth had slowly become used to Dawn's rapid-fire way of changing emotions as well as topics.

"So…go call you're uncle," she said, pointing towards the phone.

"Actually, I should go and check in with him first.  He'll probably say yes if I'm lucky," Beth said.  She looked towards Joyce.  "How about you put me down as a 'yes' for coming to dinner, and if I call you it will only be to cancel?"

Joyce nodded.  "Yes, of course.  Dinner's at seven o'clock," she said.

Beth nodded and looked at Dawn.

"I'll see you tonight with any luck, alright?" she said.

"You better!" Dawn said.

With a quick hug to Dawn, and a wave at Joyce, Beth walked out of the gallery.  Dawn smiled at a memory of a joke that Beth had told her earlier and walked to her mom, hugging her.

"You two seem to be getting along pretty well," Joyce commented, stroking Dawn's hair.

"I like her," Dawn replied easily.  "She doesn't patronise me like Xander and Willow sometimes do."

Joyce had noticed that about Beth as well.  She looked at people as though they were equals.  She had always thought her daughter would end up with a loving and giving heart.  Now she knew that she had been right.  

As Joyce locked up the gallery, she could only hope that her husband wouldn't be angry that she had invited the girl she believed to be her daughter over for dinner.  Joyce shook the thought from her head and quickly drove home.

------------------------

Beth stopped in at Faith's motel on the way home, knocking and entering when she heard Faith's shout of "it's open."

"Hey Faith," Beth greeted.

Faith rolled over on her bed to smile at the newcomer.

"Hey B.  What brings you to this part of the neighbourhood?" she asked.

"Pretty much you do," Beth replied.  "I owe you an explanation for the other night."

Faith smiled and sat up on the bed, patting the space beside her.  Beth took her shoes off and sat cross legged in front of Faith.

"You never need to explain stuff if you don't want to," Faith said.

"I want to share this with you though," Beth replied.  "You're one of the most important people in my life and…you deserve to know this."

"Alright," Faith said. "Hit me with whatever you got."

"My mom's still alive," Beth said.

Faith was floored.  She hadn't been expecting that.  The only other time she had seen Beth cry was after Jeremiah Miller's attack when Beth had been fifteen.  She had assumed that Beth had been crying over something horrible that had happened.

"Wow.  Geez B…that's…that's amazing," Faith said.

Beth nodded.  "I know.  Ethan sprung that one on me on Tuesday night.  They don't know who she is exactly, but they're trying to find out.  I jus…I didn't wanna believe it at first, I mean…my mom's alive.  For twelve years I've thought she was dead and now suddenly she's not.  It's…it's a lot to take in y'know."

"So…now what?" Faith asked.  "Are you gonna try and find her or what?"

"Ethan's trying to track her down.  But just…knowing she's alive, it's…I've never felt like this before.  I've never really been _hopeful_ about anything," Beth said.

Faith really didn't know what else to say.  She was a little envious of Beth, she knew that much.  And, at the same time, she pitied her best friend as well.  Faith had the better end of the deal, she was out from under the Council's thumb, and she was free to live her life however she wanted to.  Beth didn't have that.

"I'm really happy for you B," Faith said.

Faith reached over to her bedside table and plucked the pink pig off the nightstand.  She handed it back to Beth who looked at it with a smile.

"I gave him to you," Beth said.

Faith just shook her head and pushed the pig back towards Beth when she tried to give it to Faith.

"I don't need him anymore," Faith said.  "You said I could have him to remember you by and…I don't need to remember you when I'm gonna be going wherever you're going."

Beth grinned and hugged the pig to her chest.  

"I can't argue with you about you following me, can I?" Beth said, almost thankful that her best friend would gladly go to the end's of the earth and back to keep her safe.

"Nope.  You're got your very own groupie, B, so suck it up.  I ain't go nowhere without you."

"Good," Beth said with a grin.

Faith smiled shyly and wondered whether the butterflies that were attacking her stomach were a normal thing to happen.

Beth smiled and stood up.  "Anyway, I really can't stay.  Giles and Ethan are expecting me home soon, and I gotta beg to go have dinner with Dawn and her parentals."

"What's up with you and her anyway?" Faith asked curiously.

Beth shrugged.  "I dunno.  I just like the kid.  She…she kinda reminds me of Chloe."

"Really?" Faith asked.  "She kinda reminded me of you."

------------------------

"Hey, do you mind if I go have dinner with the Stanton's?" Beth asked as she opened the door to Giles' apartment.  She hadn't even greeted her two father-type figures before she asked, and she certainly hadn't realised that there was another figure in the room with them.

Ethan, Giles and the man that Beth hadn't really noticed the night before were seated around the living room with serious looks on their face.  Beth shrunk back, wondering what was happening.  It looked fairly serious, and she could only hope that the third man wasn't a member of Council.

"Beth.  You're back," Giles stated.

She gave him a smile and shot a questioning look at their visitor.

"Oh, uh…this is Timothy," Giles said.  "Tim, this is Beth."

Tim gave her a genuine smile which she returned hesitantly.  Something clicked inside of her as she recognised the man in front of her.

"You're Joyce's husband," she said.

Tim looked up, shocked.  "How did you know that?"

"I saw your picture on her desk," Beth replied.

Tim nodded and remembered his wife's comment about her newest employee thinking that he was good-looking.

"Ah, that's right.  She said you thought I was attractive," Tim said with a grin.

Beth went red and moved to join them in the living room.

"You were checking him out?" Ethan asked incredulously.  "What, you don't thing Ripp and I are attractive, so you go looking elsewhere?"

Beth laughed and shook her head, giving Ethan a small hug before sitting beside him.  "You know you're a cutie Ethan."

He grinned and put an arm around the girl, kissing the top of her head.  "Much better."

Beth didn't know what to think when Giles shot her a hurt look.  "What about me?"

Her eyes widened in shock, and Giles just grinned at her.

"Well, uh…I mean…of course I think that you're, uh…well, you know…" Beth tried to stutter out a reply, but Ethan gently put a finger to her lips.

"He's teasing you luv," he assured her.

Beth glared at her Watcher, hating that she had gone bright red.  She just fiddled with the stuffed pink pig that was still in her hands.  Ethan smiled when he recognised the toy that he had saved so many years ago.

"So, what brings you to the neighbourhood, Mr Stanton?" Beth asked.

"It's just Tim, please," he said kindly.  "And did you mention something about having dinner with us?"

"Oh uh…yeah.  Joyce and Dawnie invited me," Beth explained.

"I've never seen Dawn take to someone like she took to you," Tim said.  "It's rather amazing."

"She's a good kid," Beth replied.  

Tim nodded.  He wondered whether the girl had any suspicions about truly being Dawn's sister.  It was strange to think of this girl as his step-daughter, but he could tell that, given half a chance, he would like the blonde girl immensely.

"Well, I need to get moving anyway," Tim said, standing up.  "If you'd like a ride, I'd be more than happy to give you one."

Beth nodded and then remembered that she still needed her Watcher's approval first.

"Can I?" she asked hopefully.  "I'll be back by nine or ten or something, so I can still…help you with your work."

"What?" Giles asked, not understanding what she was implying.  "Oh.  Yes, that work.  Of course.  Yes, that sounds alright."

"Cool.  I'll just go change my outfit if you don't mind waiting Tim," Beth said.

Tim just nodded and Beth gave him a grateful smile, bounding up the stairs quickly.

"She's got a lot of energy," Tim commented.

"Indeed," Giles replied.  "Are you planning to tell Joyce this evening?"

"I think I might have to," Tim replied.  "The not knowing is killing her.  And Dawnie adores her as well.  I'm just…I don't know how Buffy – Beth will react to this."

Ethan just held onto the pig that Beth had left on the couch beside him.

"She wants her family back," Ethan said quietly.  "For years, this little critter was all she had left.  She didn't even have her memories of them.  Just this fellow."

Tim held his hand out and Ethan gave the pig to Tim.  

"Do you mind if I take this with me?  In case Joyce needs anymore proof," he explained.

Ethan nodded and Tim quickly hid the pig away in his large briefcase, squashing the toy a little as Beth came back down the stairs in a fresh outfit.

"Ready to go?" Tim asked.

She grinned and quickly kissed Ethan's cheek, waved to Giles and was out the door with Tim in the lead.


	25. Momma

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE: MOMMA

**Wednesday: 7pm**

**14th January 1998**

**California: Sunnydale**

Tim unlocked the door and walked inside.

"Hey girls," he called.  "I'm home.  And we've got a visitor."

Beth walked in, feeling suddenly nervous.  She'd spent nearly all day with Dawn, as well as the previous day, but somehow in a more formal setting, it was strange.  She'd never been invited to dinner before.  

Joyce walked into the hallway from the kitchen and smiled as she saw her husband and her (hopefully) eldest daughter.

"Hi Tim," she greeted, kissing his cheek.  She turned to smile at Beth, ushering her further inside the house.  "Beth, you made it.  And I see you've met my husband."

Beth smiled and walked inside.

"You're house is gorgeous," she said, looking around.

"Thank you," Joyce said, smiling.  "I can get Dawn to give you the grand tour if you'd like."

"That'd be nice, thanks."

There was an awkward silence until Tim cleared his throat.  "Well, Dawnie's probably upstairs if you wanna go up and say hi to her," he said.  "How's dinner coming Joyce?"

"It'll be ready in about ten minutes," she said.  

"Did you need a hand with anything?" Beth offered.

"Oh, no, dear that's fine.  Tim and I can handle it.  If you'd like to see Dawn, she's in the first room on the left at the top of the stairs," Joyce said.

Beth nodded and took the stairs, trying not to forget that this wasn't her Watcher's house where she could rush up them three at a time.  Tim took Joyce gently by the arm and pulled her into the living room.

"Joyce, I have to tell you something," he began.

Joyce barely even noticed that he had spoken.  She began pacing the room, biting her nails nervously.

"Oh, what if it's her?  Do you think it is?  Oh, but what if it isn't?  She's so lovely Tim.  She's…she's so beautiful.  I never thought I'd see her again, and…oh, but what if it's not her?"

Tim gently pulled his wife to sit on the couch and opened his briefcase.  He took out the stuffed pink pig that he had stashed inside and handed it to his wife.  Joyce took it, her eyes widening as she recognised the item.  Her breath caught in her throat and her eyes darted to the top of the stairs.

"It's really her," she whispered.  She looked at Tim, her eyes wide and excited.  "Oh god, it's really her!"

He nodded and took her hands in his, squeezing them gently.

"I went to her uncle's house and asked him.  It looks like they were looking for you as well," he explained.  "When I told them about you…I think they were as shocked as we were.  She…she didn't know you were alive until a few days ago."

"But…she does know, right?  She knows that she's my daughter?" Joyce asked.

"Not yet, no.  We…we thought it best to wait until you knew before we told her," Tim said.

"We?  Who's we?"

"Her uncle and her father figure," he said.

"Two of them?" Joyce asked.

"Rupert Giles and Ethan Rayne.  They've both been scouring through old police records trying to track you down," he said.

Joyce swallowed hard and tried to comprehend what her husband was saying.  Her eldest daughter was alive, here, and in her house.  She couldn't think, she could barely breathe.

"It's really her," Joyce said again.  "Oh god…how am I meant to tell her?  What if she hates me?  What if she doesn't want her family back?  She's been happy for the last twelve years without us, she's…oh god, Tim, she's…what if she doesn't want to stay here with us?"

"Joyce," he said calmly.  "Whatever happens, happens.  We can't change that.  She's known you for under a week and she already likes you.  Dawn worships the ground she walks upon, and I think that Beth – Buffy really does love her little sister.  We have to tell her."

"Can we…can we wait?  Until after dinner?  I don't want it to be awkward.  And…we should tell her privately.  And then we can explain it to Dawn later," Joyce said.

Tim nodded.  "I was going to suggest that myself.  I think we'll need to talk to both of them, together and separate.  This…it changes a lot."

She looked at him worriedly.

"It's not going to change us will it?  You won't be angry that she's finally back?  That my daughter from my first marriage is here as well?"

"Joyce," he said with a smile, "to see you as happy and carefree as you are now, I would do whatever it took to keep that in your life.  And if accepting a lovely young woman into ours lives is what it's going to take, then I'm not going to ask you to give that up.  She's a wonderful girl Joyce."

She nodded and wiped the tears from her eyes.  She stood as she heard two sets of footfalls coming down the stairs, her _two _daughters talking happily.  She smiled and looked towards Tim as they came into the room.  Tim took the stuffed pig and hid it behind the couch.

"Hey daddy," Dawn greeted, stepping into her father's embrace.  "How was work?"

"Oh, you know, same ole same old."

She grinned and looked at Beth.

"See, told ya he'd say that," Dawn said.

Tim laughed and gave his daughter a playful hit.  She squealed and hugged her father tightly.

"Well, dinner's just about ready," Joyce said.  "Tim, if you'd give me a hand setting the table, please?"

Tim nodded and Dawn grabbed Beth's hand, pulling her into the dining room.__

------------------------

An hour later, the four of them were seated in the living room, soft music playing in the background.  Dawn had fallen asleep a few minutes ago, her head resting on the arm of the couch as Tim, Joyce and Beth talked quietly.

Tim stood up and gathered his young daughter into his arms, taking her up the stairs to put her to bed.  He gave an encouraging smile to his wife and silently told her that he would give her whatever time she needed to try and explain to Beth that not only was her mom alive, but that she'd just eaten dinner with her.

Joyce smiled nervously and got up off the couch.  She went to the bookcase and took down an old photo album.  It was the photo album from her first marriage. 

"I want to show you something," Joyce said, seating herself beside Beth.  Beth shifted closer to have a better look at the photos that Joyce was about to show her.

Joyce opened to the first page, the wedding pictures of herself and Hank.

"That's…Tim's not your first husband," Beth commented.

Joyce shook her head.  "He died in a car accident," Joyce explained.

"I'm sorry."

Joyce flipped over the page to some more photos, skipping past the pictures of herself and Hank and getting to the baby pictures.  The photo taken in the delivery room of Joyce and Hank looking proudly at their daughter after she had first been born.

Beth's breath caught in her throat.   She didn't dare hope that this was what she thought is was.

"You guys had a baby together."

"A little girl," Joyce said, tears coming to her eyes.  "She was the light of our lives.  Quite possibly the only thing that kept us together.  Hank was…whenever she was around, he was a different person.  He loved her with everything that he had."

Joyce looked at Beth who was keeping her eyes on the photos, willing herself not to let tears drop.  

"He called her princess," she continued.  "When she was three, he bought her something that she never parted with.  Ever." 

Joyce brought forward the pink pig from behind the couch and handed it to Beth who took it with shaking hands.

"He bought her this."

Tears fell from Beth's eyes and she looked up at Joyce.

"Her name was Beth, but we called her Buffy."

Beth's lower lip was quivering violently, the young Slayer trying to keep the tears at bay.

"You're my mother?" she whispered, her voice barely more than a whisper.

Joyce nodded and felt tears trickle down her own cheeks as she saw wonder and fear and love and worry flash across Beth's face.

"I don't know what to say," Beth admitted.  

Joyce couldn't stand it any longer and reached out to the girl, hugging her tightly.  "You don't have to say anything," she whispered, stroking Beth's hair.

Beth's resolve shattered, and the girl quickly burst into shaking sobs, clinging to her mother desperately.  It was ten minutes before either of them said another word.

Buffy could only whisper: "Momma."

(Awwww…*sniffles* Who else loves a nice piece of family fluff like I do?)


	26. Mr McNamarra

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX: MR MCNAMARRA

Friday: 3:45pm 

**21st August 1998**

**California: Sunnydale**

Dawn walked into the gallery, whistling happily.  She went past the displays towards the offices and smiled as she saw Buffy.

"Hey big sis," she greeted. 

Buffy looked up and grinned.  "Hey lil' sis."

It was a ritual that had begun after Tim and Joyce had sat down and explained everything to Dawn, from Joyce's first marriage to Buffy's disappearance and sudden reappearance.  

"Is mom around?" Dawn asked.

"She's on the phone with your dad," Buffy replied.

Dawn nodded and perched herself on the desk, swinging her legs happily.

"You're having dinner with us tonight, right?" Dawn asked.

"Yup.  It's Friday, remember?" Buffy answered.

"Just checking," Dawn said.

Joyce hadn't understood why Buffy couldn't live in the house on Revello Drive where she belonged.  She didn't know about Buffy's Calling, and Buffy planned on keeping it that way.  It was better if hardly anyone knew.  Buffy knew that she had to take her Destiny seriously, she had had that taught to her in many different ways in her days as a Potential, and she understood the need for secrecy.

The fact that Tim knew and was a good ally was tremendously helpful.  He managed to keep Joyce calm about Buffy not living with them, and had helped Joyce see that it was better that Buffy stay with her 'uncle' so that she could still have stability in her life.  Tim explained that Buffy needed time to deal with the new developments of having a family and that it would take time.

So, Joyce had conceded eventually.  Buffy would work in the gallery Monday, Wednesday, Friday and have dinner with them on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday nights.  Saturdays and Sundays were spent training with Giles.

Buffy was thrilled to finally be part of a family.  She had expected things to be strange at first, but she had fallen straight into the part of the big sister and eldest daughter.  She had worried that Dawn would be upset, but Dawn had been thrilled to learn that Buffy truly was her older sister.  

Giles had been extremely lenient with Buffy for the first few weeks that she had been adjusting to suddenly having a family.  Six months later, he was firm about sticking to the old schedule.  As for Buffy in the slayage department, she'd never fought better in her life.  She had friends, she had family and she had so many reasons to be alive.

Xander had stopped stalking her and had opted on just getting to know her as casually as he could.  Willow had also joined Xander in his new preoccupation with getting to know the new girl.  Neither of them knew that Buffy was Joyce's daughter, though Willow was curious as to why Dawn and Buffy had been spending so much time together.  

Faith and Buffy trained together, Giles allowing it because it meant that Buffy was fighting someone with equal training and someone who could almost keep up with Slayer stamina.  It was also helpful to observe Buffy's fighting skills when he wasn't on the receiving end of them.

Ethan came in and out of town whenever he could, flying weekly to places all over the world, always bringing back small souvenirs for Buffy, Faith and Giles.  

Buffy put down her pen and looked at her younger sister.

"Wanna go grab some ice cream or something?" Buffy asked.

"Ice cream?  I am _so_ there.  It's about a gazillion degrees out there!" Dawn said.

Dawn grinned and happily took her sister's outstretched hand.  For Dawn, life had never been better.

------------------------

Buffy raced into the house she shared with Giles, the door slamming behind her.  It startled Giles who was on the phone with someone.  She shot him an apologetic smile and raced up the stairs, stopping short when she caught what Giles was saying.

"Yes, sorry about that.  Yes, my Slayer.  She's rather…energetic at this time of the afternoon," Giles said.

Buffy grinned, loving the stuffy way that Giles put everything.  She could hear the affection lacing his voice even as he spoke semi-badly about her.

"Now?  Are you certain?  A demonic fighting arena.  Yes, I had heard they existed.  Terrible things really," Giles said.  "No.  No, I wasn't.  When?  Oh.  Yes.  That soon."

Buffy felt her heart drop.  By the sounds of it, they were going to move.  She shook her head but Giles didn't see it.  He was too busy rubbing the bridge of his nose in frustration. 

"Yes.  Yes of course.   I'll inform you when we get there.  Yes.  Alright.  Thank you."

Giles hung up the phone and reluctantly turned to where Buffy was staring at him from halfway up the stairs.

"Giles, no," she said quietly.

"I'm afraid we have to," he replied.

"But…I just got my family back," she said.

He nodded.  "I know."

She held back tears and closed her eyes.  Before her Watcher could say anything else, his Slayer had shot up the stairs and slammed her bedroom door shut.  Giles winced at the sound and couldn't help but wonder whether anything in his Slayer life would ever go smoothly.

------------------------

Saturday: 10pm 

**22nd August 1998**

**California: Los Angeles**

They had driven to Los Angeles during the day, Buffy giving her Watcher the silent treatment even though she knew that it wasn't actually his fault.  The Council had arranged for a small apartment for the two of them in the centre of the city, a largish two bedroom place with an amazing view of the beach.  When Buffy had seen the view, she had been shocked out of her stubborn refusal to speak and had pointed towards it enthusiastically.

"Giles!  This place…look, it's gorgeous!"

Giles had smiled and nodded his agreement. He hadn't been terribly happy about the move either.  He had only just become comfortable in Sunnydale, and moving hadn't been on his list of top priorities.

Buffy had settled into the apartment fairly quickly, putting her belongings in the drawers in her room.  As much as she hadn't wanted to leave Sunnydale, she had to admit to liking the new apartment a little more than the old place she and Giles had been living in before. 

Faith and Ethan had both promised to be in LA by the end of the week once they found a place to stay. 

Explaining to Joyce and Dawn why she had had to go with Giles when both the Stanton women knew that Giles wasn't actually her uncle had been harder than Buffy had expected.  Joyce couldn't understand why Giles wanted to move, especially now and when he had explained that it was for work, Joyce had practically begged for Buffy to stay in the house on Revello Drive.

After Buffy had assured her mom six or seven times that she would be coming back to Sunnydale, Joyce had acquiesced, albeit reluctantly.  She still didn't understand and she had made Buffy swear on her life that she would return and phone regularly. 

"So…" Buffy said when she had finished unpacking.   "Should I go patrol?  Get a feel for the area?"

Giles looked up, his thought pattern interrupted as her heard his Slayer's voice.

"What?  Oh, uh, yes.  Yes, patrol.  Uh, perhaps you should make it a shorter one than usual.  You can get a better knowledge of the vicinity tomorrow during the day," he suggested.

"Alright.  I'll be back in about two hours then," she said.

Giles nodded and barely noticed that she had gone.  Buffy shut the door behind her after grabbing several of her favourite weapons and the spare key to the apartment.

She walked quickly, moving through the streets and memorising where everything was.  There were several run down buildings that she wanted to have a look at during the day as possible vamps nests, but for now, she stuck to the streets.  

Four vampires later, she found herself in the middle of an abandoned parking lot that belonged to what looked like a club.  She couldn't hear any sounds, but she could feel that there were several demons nearby.  She held a stake and a dagger at the ready, her crossbow on its shoulder strap.  

From out of nowhere, she was surrounded by six demons, four of them circling her as two of them hung back at the rear to watch.  Buffy swallowed hard and attacked before they had a chance, quickly sizing up which of the four demons would be the easiest to kill.  She seemingly chose correctly and the first demon was dead in a matter of seconds.

She held off two of the demons that rushed towards her, sidestepping one and throwing the other towards the two demons that hung back observing.  The fourth demon growled at her and lunged, impaling itself on her dagger.  It fell backwards, Buffy's dagger still embedded in its chest.  Buffy almost groaned as she realised she'd just lost a weapon.  

Within minutes, she had staked one of the demons, and while the demon howled in pain, it didn't fall to the ground as she had expected it to.  Clutching at the wound on its chest, it swung towards her, catching her arm with its claws.  She pushed past the pain in her arm and swung at the bleeding demon with her good hand.  The demon stumbled back and Buffy took the opportunity to ready her crossbow and fire at the demons heart.  It yelled in pain and collapsed to the ground.  Buffy quickly reloaded the bow and looked around for the three remaining demons.

Gone.

She furrowed her brow in confusion and pushed her sixth sense outwards to try and feel them.  She could feel them in the air around her, but she couldn't see them.  With her crossbow still aimed, she turned in a slow circle, not wanting them to catch her off guard.  The moment she had turned, she felt an electric current go through her back, shocking her.  She fell to her knees as she felt another bolt hit her.

She lay, sprawled on the ground.  Through her fading vision, she saw another figure step forward, one that looked and felt human.

"Nice work boys.  She'll be a real crowd pleaser.  Who knew that Slayers came so damn hot?  I think Mr McNamarra will be pleased."

And then, her world went black.


	27. Angel

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN: ANGEL

(Based on the S1 AtS episode 'The Ring'.  If you haven't seen this ep, prepare to be confused.  It's the episode about the demon fighting arena in case you don't know your AtS eps by name)

**Sunday: 6am**

**23rd August 1998**

**California: Los Angeles**

She woke up to a noisy din of voices, footsteps and growling.  She put a hand to her head, wincing as she felt a particularly tender spot.  She opened her eyes and nearly panicked as she saw a set of metal bars surrounding her.  She swallowed hard and got to her feet, walking to the edge of the cage.  She heard a buzzer go off and the cage doors slammed open.  Hesitantly, she stepped out.

Looking around her, she almost expected there to be other girls her age.  Instead, she found the room filled with demons.  She'd never seen so many demons in the one place in her life.  

She absently scratched at her right wrist only to feel metal wrapped around it.  There was a cuff on her wrist with no discernible line as to where it opened or how.  On it were the Roman numerals 'XX'.  She pulled at it but it wouldn't budge.

"Breakfast time slaves," a voice announced.  

She looked to where someone had spoken.  A human.  She vaguely recognised him as the man she had seen just before she had blacked out the night before.  Looking around, she saw a thick red line separating where the man stood from where the demons were kept.

She watched as the demons accepted a bowl of something that she didn't even want to put a name to.  She had thought that the Council food was bad.  This was a hundred times worse.  Her stomach protested loudly, but she refused to eat.

"Slayer!" a voice yelled.

A burst of noise came from the demons.  She swallowed nervously.  She was in a foreign place with no weapons, and there was no way she could fight with every one of the demons here and walk away.  

"Come here girl."

Buffy almost hesitated, but years of Travers' training kicked in.  She walked up to the red line, about to cross over.

"Uh, uh, uh Slayer.  Stay inside the red.  Unless of course you wanna dust just like all the vamps you kill," the man taunted.

He was tall with a long ponytail running down his back.  He was smirking at her while she just stared back at him, refusing to let anything show on her face.

"Bet you're wondering what this place is," he commented.

"I'm guessing it's not the Ritz," she quipped.  

Some of the demons snickered behind her.  

"You'd be guessing right little girl.  You're a slave here.  Our property until we let you go.  As a professional demon killer, you'll fetch good money," he said.

"Let me guess, you make us fight while rich people cheer us on," Buffy said.  

"Why not?  I figure we're doing the world a favour.  We're thinning out the demon population.  We're the good guys," he said.

"In what world could you ever be good?"

The man just smirked and raised an eyebrow.

"I guess it doesn't matter whether we have a difference of opinions on that particular topic.  Point is, you'll fight.  Starting tonight, you'll be one of our top competitors."

"And then what?" she asked.  "Where's the incentive?"

"Well, you get to live," he explained.  "After twenty-one kills, we'll take of that there wrist cuff, and you get to walk outta here."

"I won't kill for sport," she said angrily.

He just shrugged and gave her a wink.  

"We'll see."

------------------------

**Wednesday: 10pm**

**26th August 1998**

**California: Los Angeles**

Buffy walked out of the arena, blood on her hands.  She hated every second of what she was doing.  She'd never had a problem with killing demons before.  Doing it in front of a crowd of about a hundred people though just seemed sick.  

She was exhausted, physically, mentally and emotionally.  She hadn't slept in days, hadn't eaten anything either.  She saw the looks that the demons had been giving her, and she refused to close her eyes even for a minute lest her guard be down.  

Her jeans and shirt were ripped, and she had a multitude of new cuts and bruises that weren't healing as fast as they would have been had she been at full strength.  She desperately needed sleep in order to heal, but she couldn't risk it.  She knew that if she closed her eyes even for a minute she wouldn't ever wake up again.

She sat herself against a wall, not bothering to try and fight for a seat at the table.  She had tried that once and had quickly learnt that it wasn't worth the hassle.  

She heard a commotion coming from the other demons and looked up curiously.  She rolled her eyes as she realised that it was only a new contender.  She got a better look.  Vampire.  Brown hair, brown eyes, a white singlet shirt and black jeans.  He looked like a fighter.

She could only hope that he stayed away from her.  At least the other demons didn't crave human blood.  She knew that a vampire kept down here would go insane with only the slop they called food to live on.

She droned out the sounds and concentrated on anything rather than the pain and hunger that she was feeling.  She was miserable and home-sick.  She could only pray that Giles had worked out what had happened to her.  Although, how he could get her out was completely beyond her.  

So caught up in her internal musings, she completely missed that the vampire had taken a seat beside her, leaning against the wall.  She felt the familiar prickles on the back of her neck, but somehow, there was something different about the vampire sitting next to her.

She turned to look at him and her breath caught involuntarily in her throat.  In a different life where she wasn't the Slayer and he wasn't a vampire, she would have been incredibly attracted to him.  She studied him for a moment, the two of them staring at each other.  Buffy finally worked out why he felt so different from all the other vampires.  Her eyes narrowed in confusion.

"You've got a soul," she whispered.

He looked at her surprised.  

"How did you know that?" he asked.

She shrugged and looked away, embarrassed by how intently she had been staring.

"I can just tell.  You feel…different from the others," she explained.

"You're good," he complimented.  "Most Slayers can't feel the difference at all."

She sighed, wondering how many Slayers this vampire had faced.  

"How'd it happen?" she asked, genuinely curious.  The Council had never said that vampires could have souls.  She wondered whether she had inadvertently killed any soulful vampires in her early slaying days.

"Killed the wrong girl and ended up with a soul," he explained.

"Harsh," she said, feeling sympathetic towards him.  She knew more than enough about vampires to understand how they worked.  The souls left the body and the demon took over.  To suddenly have a soul and feel guilt for something that you had no control over would have been excruciating.

There was silence for a moment before he spoke again.

"How long have you been here?" he asked.

"I dunno," she replied honestly. "It's all kinda blending in together at the moment.  I'm on my fourth kill."

"You don't like killing these demons do you?" he asked.

She shook her head.

"It's funny really.  Out in the real world, I'd kill these guys without a seconds hesitation, but…in that arena…it feels wrong.  Slaughtering demons so people can be entertained.  It's sick," she said.

He nodded and finally got a better look at her.

"You're a lot older than most of the Slayers I've met," he commented.

"And?" 

"Nothing.  I'm just saying.  How old are you anyway?" he asked.

"Seventeen," she replied.

He was over two hundred and forty and he couldn't stand the thought of being in this prison.  To be seventeen and trying to deal with it would be horrible.

Buffy put a hand to her mouth to cover a yawn and leant her head against the wall tiredly.  She closed her eyes for as long as she dared and then forced herself to open them.

"You're tired," he commented softly.

She shrugged.  "No way in hell I'm sleeping.  If these demons don't wanna kill me, I'm sure they can think of other ways to torture me."

"The only girl in a roomful of guys, regardless of the species," he commented.

"Yes, thank you so much for voicing _that_ paranoid thought.  So _very_ comforting," she snapped.

He flinched at the harshness in her tone and Buffy felt a little guilty about it.

"I'm sorry.  I'm just…I'm tired and I'm hungry and…I just really wanna go home," she said.

"I know the feeling," Angel said.

She looked at him curiously.  "You've got people waiting for you?" she asked.

"A couple of 'em, yeah," he said.  "Doyle and Gunn."

"Humans?"

"Well, Doyle's half demon half human.  He's a good guy.  Irish.  Drinks like a fish," he explained.  "Gunn's all human and he really can't explain why he hangs out with the likes of us."

"And you?  What do you do?" she asked.

"I help those who need helping."

"Why?"

He chuckled.  "To earn my redemption.  Like that's possible.  I can't ever make up for what I did."

She looked away when she heard the sadness in his tone. 

"You got a name?" she asked suddenly.

"Angel."

"Pretty name," she commented.  "You go by that when you were evil?"

"I was pretty into irony," he said.

She grinned.  "I'll bet.  Demon with the face of an angel."

She yawned again, not even trying to hold it back.

"If I swear on my soul that you'll live through the night, will you at least consider sleeping for a while?" he asked.

She shook her head.

"You don't trust me?" he asked.

"There are two types of people that I don't trust.  Vampires and men.  Male vampires are _really_ at the bottom of the barrel," she said. 

"I could knock you out and _make_ you sleep," he said.  "Look, you're gonna need your strength come tomorrow night.  If you don't sleep, you won't make it through the first minute."

She sighed and nodded, knowing that he was right and hating every second of it.

"If you so much as lay a hand, fist or fang on any part of my body, so help me, I will rip off your head and stick it up your ass before you have a chance to turn into dust," she warned. 

"I'll take that into consideration," he said solemnly.

She couldn't help but laugh and, for the first time in days, she let herself close her eyes.

------------------------

**Saturday: 10pm**

**29th August 1998**

**California: Los Angeles**

She'd been in hell for nearly seven days now and fighting in front of a cheering crowd wasn't getting any easier.  She'd killed eleven demons now, and each of them disgusted her to the core.  She was, however, fighting considerably better now that she was sleeping again.  She and Angel had struck up a sort of friendship where he would protect her while she slept and she would do the same for him.  When they weren't sleeping, they were talking.  She dreaded the day that they would be matched against each other.

"You're quick," Angel commented as she sat down upon re-entering the caged area.  She had just won another fight, her body aching terribly.  She had been lucky to only have to fight once after having done several double matches on the previous four evenings.  She was, as Mr McNamarra had told her she would be, a crowd pleaser.

"Well, I work out," she quipped.

He grinned, something that he wasn't known for doing.  He couldn't believe that he was even capable of smiling in this place.  He knew it was because of her.

A demon approached them and Buffy tensed, wondering what it wanted.  To her surprise, it sat down with them.

"You're a good fighter, Slayer," it said.

"Thanks," she said, a little wary of what it wanted.  

"I'm not looking forward to going against you.  Either one of you," he said.

"I've seen you fight," Angel said.  "You're pretty decent."

"All the demons here are pretty decent.  Well, at least when it comes to fighting," he said.  "Any other time, I'd be telling you I'm pretty _in_decent, y'know."

Buffy and Angel shared a look, wondering why the demon was talking and joking with them.

"You got a name?" Angel asked.

"Melish," it replied.  "I'm a gracknal demon."

"Gracknal?" Buffy repeated.  "They're peaceful demons.  Not fighters."

"You've done you're homework," Melish said.  "And yeah I'm peaceful.  I don't want to kill nobody, least of all people.  I've got friends who are human.  I may be a demon, but…I'm not a bad guy."

Angel could remember Whistler telling him exactly the same thing.  Not all demons were bent on the destruction of all life.

"How much longer are you in here for?" Angel asked.

"Another twelve," Melish replied.  "I have a feeling I'm up against Trepkos next.  Not a fight I wanna be part of."

"Trepkos," Buffy mused.   "He's strong.  He's weak on his left side though.  He favours his right too much, so you can keep to his left and make him strike at you from his weak spot.  He's determined though.  He's only got three fights left."

"I'm planning on walking out of that arena after my twenty-one.  You can be assured of that," Melish said.  "I wanna get back to my wife and kids."

Buffy looked at him strangely.  To hear that a demon wanted to be set free so he could go back to his family seemed to strange, so…human.  She wanted the exact same thing, to walk out and be back with Giles, Joyce, Faith, Ethan and Dawn.   

"You guys got family waiting for you?" he asked.

"Yeah," they both replied, a little wistfully.

Melish looked towards Buffy.  "You're Watcher must be goin' nuts."

She nodded sadly.   "At least he knows that I'm not dead though.  You're family's probably wigging big time."

She picked up some strange slang from Willow and Xander and it had stuck with her, much to Giles' dismay.  The word 'wigging' was her current favourite.

"Well, if that means what I think it means, then, yeah.  Major wigging," he replied.

Buffy stretched out her sore muscles and purposely cracked her back, sighing happily when it fell back into place.  She closed her eyes tiredly and leant against Angel's shoulder.  She couldn't believe that she trusted him, but true to his word, he hadn't touched her at all.

"I never thought I'd see the day when a vamp and a Slayer shacked up together," Melish commented.

"We're hardly 'shacked up' as you so vulgarly put it," Buffy said, using her best Gilesean reprimand voice.  "And we wouldn't even be this close if it weren't for all the others looking at me like I'm the answer to all their problems."

Melish looked completely chastised and hurried to apologise to her.  Angel just silently chuckled and let the Slayer fall asleep on his shoulder, watching over her as she slept.  He and Melish continued talking well into the night.


	28. Gunn

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT: GUNN

(I'm taking BIG liberties here.  In AtS S1, Doyle's already dead by this ep, and Gunn hasn't even been introduced, but I couldn't exactly have Cordy and Wes here, so…these two fit the bill.  Go with it!)

**Tuesday: 1pm**

**1st September 1998**

**California: Los Angeles**

Doyle stormed into the office area, running his hands through his hair in frustration.

"Anything?" Gunn asked.

"Nothing.  Not a word," he replied angrily.  "You'd think that if someone had offed Angel, Mr vamp-with-a-soul, they'd be big with the braggin' about it."

"Maybe, he met a nice lady-vamp," Gunn said.  "They might be out getting all hot and heavy."

Doyle thought about that suggestion while Gunn reconsidered his words.  They simultaneously wrinkled their noses in disgust.  

"Thanks for _that_ visual boyo," Doyle said.  "Now I'm sure to have nightmares about the boss."

"You know, you'd think that the Powers would send you a vision or something to tell you what happened to Angel.  I mean, he _is_ a warrior of theirs, right?" Gunn said.  "So, why wouldn't they have warned him that something freaky was gonna happen."

Doyle, Angel's seer and link to the Powers that Be shook his head.  "It doesn't quite work like that."

Gunn sighed in disgust.  "It's been a week already.  He can't have gone that far, right?  And you're still getting the visions, so it's not like he can be dead or anything."

Doyle stopped pacing and threw himself into a chair.

"This is hopeless.  I've used every contact I can think of, and I still can't find the bloke.  You'd think that someone somewhere would know what was going on," Doyle insisted.

Gunn went to reply, but Doyle jerked forward, clutching at his head as a vision flashed painfully across his mind.  Gunn watched in sympathy, hating when Doyle got the visions.  He felt hopeless.

Doyle sat up gasping.

"We've got trouble."

"Angel?" Gunn asked.

Doyle nodded.  "Fighting a big green demon, crown of horns on his head."

"Where?" 

Doyle hesitated.  "It looked like a sports arena, but…there were humans watching these guys fight.  Like they were betting on who was gonna win."

"You mean like demon wrestling?" Gunn asked.

"Death match for demons, yeah.  As in, a fight to the death."

"Why does that not comfort me a single bit?" Gunn said sarcastically.

Doyle patted the younger mans back.  "Well, at least we know where he is, right?"

------------------------

Gunn really didn't want to know how Doyle had managed to scrounge up two tickets for the demon fight club, and there was no way that Gunn was bold enough to ask.  He was just grateful that they were able to get in.

He'd been told to dress fancy, which for Gunn meant a nicer pair of black jeans and a button up shirt that wasn't ripped.  He walked into the office and Doyle looked at him in disgust.  The half-demon was dressed in a pair of black slacks with a white button up shirt and a matching black jacket.

"You can't go in jeans," Doyle said.

"Well what the hell am I meant to wear then?" Gunn asked.  "It's not like I own anything all fancy, remember?"

Doyle rolled his eyes and led Gunn down into Angel's apartment.  He scoured through Angel's closet and pulled out a pair of black pants, a blue button down shirt and a black jacket.

"Why can't I borrow one of his leather ones?" Gunn asked.

"Cos, we're meant to be rich snobs, and rich snobs wear suits," Doyle explained.

Gunn rolled his eyes and let Doyle lead him to Angel's black convertible.

"Fine.  I still say I shoulda been wearing the leather."

------------------------

Doyle and Gunn showed their tickets to the bouncer on the door who waved them in disinterestedly.  Both men sighed in relief as they entered the club.  

"Make sure you don't do anything stupid when we get inside," Doyle warned.  "And no betting."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Gunn replied.  

They went through another door and entered into a room with a hollowed out pit.  At the bottom were two demons beating the crap out of each other.  Around them was the chant 'killing blow, killing blow' as the humans watched the demons competing.

Gunn's eyes narrowed and the two men wormed their way through the crowd to get spots on the railing.  Gunn leant on the red rail and saw a warning.  'For safety measures, do not lean over rail.'

It took only minutes before one of the demons lay dead on the ground while the other demon stood triumphant.

"Winner, ladies and gentlemen, Melish!  If you're keeping score, that was Melish's sixteenth career kill.  That's right ladies and gentlemen, sixteen to the demon fighter Melish.  Our next two contestants are two of your favourites, pitted against each other as they were supposed to be.  This months favourite fighter, the Slayer!"

There was a roar that came from the crowd and Gunn and Doyle watched in amazement as a young girl walked into the arena.  

"I saw her in my vision," Doyle said.

"The Powers warned you about her?" Gunn asked, taking in the size of her.  She looked weak, and he idly wondered what type of a demon she was.  

"Not against her," Doyle explained.  "I think we're meant to help her."

"She looks like she's gonna need that help pretty soon," Gunn said.  He tensed as he saw a demon enter the pit as well.  The demon was almost twice the girls size.

Gunn watched in disgust as a bell sounded and the demon attacked viciously.  Gunn was stunned when the girl quickly ducked out of the way, tripping the demon, sending it slamming into the wall.  Gunn cheered her on silently.

The demon regrouped and went to hit the girl's cheek with its claws, but Buffy grabbed its wrist, squeezing tightly until it howled in pain.  Buffy delivered a swift quick between the demons legs and mentally cursed as she realized that the demon wasn't sensitive there at all.

She'd read about demons like this one.  A jamulik demon, native to Southern America and violent as all hell.  They were mindless, vicious killers, bent on the destruction of anything that moved.

She ducked into a crouch and swung her leg into a low kick, sending the demon sprawling onto its back.  She drowned out the sounds of the crowd above her, trying to convince herself that this was an ordinary kill.  She was just the Slayer, back in Sunnydale, trying to rid the world of one more demon.  She didn't have people betting money on her to win, and she didn't have people chanting the word 'Slayer' at the top of their lungs.

The jamulik got in one good hit to Buffy's mid-section and Buffy sucked in quickly, pushing the pain out of her mind as the fight continued.  After a six minute dance that Gunn was on edge for, Buffy stood above her fifteenth kill.  She swallowed hard and wiped her bloodied hands on her jeans, vowing to herself that she would burn them the second she got home.

She looked up at the crowd in disgust, but caught one quiet young man's eyes.  He stared back at her.  He wasn't like the others.  He wasn't cheering.  He wasn't even smiling.  He was just looking worriedly at her.  He offered her a small half-smile, which she didn't have the strength to return.  Instead, she turned and walked back into the caged area with the other 'slaves'.

Angel pounced on her immediately.  "You're hurt," he said, touching her split lip gently.

She waved him off.  "Its nothing Angel.  I've had far, _far_ worse."

"Angel!  You're up!"

Buffy turned to him, catching his hand in hers.  "You better come back alright?  I'm too exhausted to not sleep tonight."

He nodded and kissed her cheek quickly.  She looked at him, startled.  He'd never done that before.  With a smile, he turned and walked up the ramp and into the arena.  Buffy could only watch and listen as Angel faced off with a demon that was larger and looked to be stronger than he.  After six minutes of wincing and silent praying, she smiled at her vampiric friend as he limped back into the cages.

"Nice fight," she said.

He looked at her intensely.  "We're getting out of here," he whispered.  She looked at him, completely shocked.  She hadn't expected him to say anything like that to her at all.  "Tomorrow night.  We're getting out."

Thank you soooo much for your feedback and reviews!!

Toodles.

K.


	29. Doyle

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE: DOYLE

**Wednesday: 9am**

**2nd September 1998**

**California: Los Angeles**

"Okay, what the hell was that last night?" Gunn asked.

"An Octavian Fighting Arena," Doyle replied.  He'd heard about these types of fighting arenas from another demon that he was acquainted with.  He hadn't known that thee was one operating in the city though.

"And what exactly is that?  They ain't doing that voluntarily are they?" Gunn asked.

"Do you really think Angel's daft enough to go into something like that as a volunteer?" Doyle asked.

Gunn sighed and sat back in his desk chair.

"So…how do we get him out?"

"Well, the first thing we gotta do is get him outta those wrist cuffs," Doyle said.  "I just wish I could get my hands on a set."

Gunn pulled something out of his pocket.  "What, this thing?"

Doyle looked at his friend, shocked.  "Where the hell'd you get that?"

"Some guy was playing with one.  He put it down.  I pinched it.  I thought it looked cool," Gunn explained with a shrug.

Doyle just shook his head and took the metal cuff from Gunn.

"It don't look like there's a clasp or nothing on this thing," he said.

"Maybe it's magic," Gunn suggested.

Doyle again looked at Gunn in shock.  "Alright, who are you and what've you done with Charles Gunn?  You're being far too helpful today."

Gunn grinned and took a theatrical bow from his seat.  "What can I say, I like to shock people."

Doyle just fiddled with the silver wrist cuff for a moment before looking back up at Gunn.

"Looks like we'll be hitting the books."

------------------------

Three hours later, they still had yet to find anything.  Gunn sighed and pushed his back away from him.  He looked towards Doyle and finally spoke the question he had been wondering about since he had first seen the girl enter the arena.

"What type of demon was that girl?" he asked.

Doyle looked up, not having completely heard the question.  "Huh…what girl?"

"The girl from last night.  What type of demon was she?" Gunn asked.

Doyle shook his head.

"She's no demon mate.  That girl's a hundred percent human."

"But…the way she moved, the way she fought.  She coulda kicked my ass, hands down," Gunn exclaimed.

"That she coulda.  She's what we demons like to call the Slayer."

"Which is what?"

"One girl in all the world who fights demons.  Chosen by the Powers that Be," Doyle explained.

"Talk about pressure," Gunn said.

Doyle nodded.

"Yup.  Young little things too.  She's probably about sixteen, seventeen by the looks of her," Doyle estimated.

"Her family's probably worried about her," Gunn mused.

"Slayers don't have family," Doyle said.  "Just their Watchers."

"Geez," Gunn said,  "And I thought you had a hard gig.  Sounds like this girl got an even shorter straw than yours."

"That she did," Doyle agreed.  He flipped another page absently and almost turned again without looking at it when something familiar caught his eyes.  He looked down and gave a shout of excitement.  "Here it is!"

Gunn looked over Doyle's shoulder and tried to read the text.  "Damn, Doyle.  What language is that in?"

Doyle grimaced.  "It's in Latin.  And my Latin only goes so far as Carpe Diem."

"Who the hell do we know that can read Latin?" Gunn asked.

"Besides Angel?  Nobody," Doyle replied.

"Angel can read Latin?" Gunn asked incredulously.  You learned something knew everyday when it came to the vampire with a soul.

Doyle went quiet, a thoughtful look on his face.  

"You know, there might be someone who can help us," Doyle said quietly.  "I'd hafta go there myself, but if I'm remembering properly, we should have this text worked out by tonight."

Gunn nodded and looked at Doyle expectantly.  "Well?  What are you waiting for?  Go already."

Doyle nodded, grabbed the book and left Gunn to sit in the offices, alone with his thoughts.  

------------------------

Doyle pulled Angel's convertible up in front of a high-class building and swallowed nervously.  He hated coming here for several reasons.  One, he still owed this guy a favour, and two, the guy wasn't actually a guy.  It was his ex-wife who had taken to studying demons and ancient languages, including Latin.

He sucked in a deep breath and forced himself out of the car and up the stairs, ringing Harry's doorbell before he completely lost his nerve.

Harry answered, a completely shocked look on her face.

"Francis," she breathed.

He smiled a little and nodded his head in greeting.  "Hey Harry.  I was wondering if I could have a moment of your time."

Harry hesitated but finally nodded, opening the door completely to let in her ex-husband.

"There's something wrong, isn't there?" Harry asked.

Doyle nodded and sat himself down on a chair in her living room.

"You could say that, yeah," Doyle replied.  He pulled the wrist cuff out of his pocket and handed it to Harry.

She looked up at him in shock.  "Where did you get this?"

"At an Octavian Fighting Arena," Doyle replied.  "I need to figure out how to get it open."

"I can't help you there, not without the text that goes with it," Harry said.

Doyle just pulled out the book and handed it to her at the correct page.

"It's written in Latin, so I thought that you might be able to lend us a hand," Doyle said.

"Who's it for?" Harry asked suspiciously.

"For Angel," Doyle explained.  "He got himself taken a couple a nights back, and…we wanna get him outta there before he gets decimated."

Harry took the text from Doyle and began reading over it.  She frowned thoughtfully and looked up at Doyle.

"It looks simple enough, but…you're going to need to make a portable key to get Angel outta that cuff.  This thing's half magic, half medieval technology," Harry explained.  "You need to connect it to an adaptor and find something that conducts a small amount of electricity.  But, not too much.  There's your main problem."

"Well, what conducts electricity in small amounts?" Doyle asked.

"Really thin wire maybe," Harry suggested.  "Hair's a good conductor, but I think human hair is too thin."

"What about fur or something?" 

"Maybe a horse hair," Harry said.

"Where the hell am I meant to get a horse hair from?" Doyle asked.

"There's a ranch about twenty minutes north of LA," Harry said.  "Go there and cut off a strand from a tail.  I should be able to set up the rest here."

Doyle nodded and stood up.

"I can't thank you enough Harry," he said.

She just smiled and gently touched his hand.  "I think it's the least I can do after my fiancée tried to behead you," she said.

Doyle grinned and kissed her cheek quickly before going back out to the car.

------------------------

An hour and a half later, Doyle was back at Harry's place, horse hair firmly in his grip.  He knocked and entered the apartment, holding out the single strand to Harry.  She took it from him and led him to where she had set up a complicated looking electrical experiment.

"This should work," Harry said.  "I've been trying with other things and nearly electrocuting myself, but…this, should work."

Doyle nodded and watched on edge as Harry put the horsehair on a pair of tweezers and held it to the cuff.  To their excitement, the cuff opened completely.  Harry squealed with excitement and threaded the hair through a portable conductor.  She handed the thin silver pen-like key to Doyle.

"Just touch the cuff with this end here," she explained, indicating what he should do.  "The cuff should drop off, no hassles."

Doyle grinned and took the item.  "Thanks Harry.  You're a life-saver."


	30. Melish

CHAPTER THIRTY: MELISH

**Wednesday: 8:30pm**

**2nd September 1998**

**California: Los Angeles**

The demon Melish paced nervously behind the red line.  He only had about six fights to go, and he knew that sooner or later he was going to have to go up against either the Vampire or the Slayer.  He didn't want to kill either one of them, but he knew that when it came down to it, he would do it to keep himself alive.

The Slayer was on her fifteenth kill with only six more to go.  The Vampire had another eleven kills.  

Melish looked up as he heard the announcement for the evenings fights.

"Melish, you're up against Lasavik."

He breathed a sigh of relief.  He'd seen Lasavik fight.  There was a good chance that he would walk out of the arena in tact.  

Six other fights were announced.  The final fight of the evening was put off until last.  Melish waited and heard the fight being announced.

"Slayer, you're up against Angel."

Melish turned in surprise and saw the twin looks of shock and outrage that lit both Vampire and Slayer.  He walked towards them, sympathy on his face.

"That's a bit harsh," he commented quietly.

He was surprised to see tears in the young Slayers eyes.  Buffy could only look towards Angel, fear and concern written across her face.

"Now what?" she asked quietly.

"We're not gonna fight Buffy," Angel assured her.  "We're getting out of this place."

"That's optimistic," Melish said.  "And completely unrealistic.  You guys both know that the only way out is after twenty-one kills."

Angel shook his head.  

"I got friends coming for me," he explained.

Buffy bit her lip nervously. 

"And if they don't come?  I can't kill you Angel.  I won't," she said.

"They'll come," he assured her.  He pressed her closer to his side, turning his head to place a gentle kiss in her hair.  She sighed and snuggled against him.  She really hated that place.

------------------------

**Wednesday: 9pm**

**2nd September 1998**

**California: Los Angeles**

Doyle and Gunn entered the club, making their way through the crowds towards the main fighting arena.  Gunn poked Doyle's side and pointed to the massive sign with the evenings roster of fights drawn up.

Doyle grimaced when he saw the last fight for the evening.  "The Slayer vs Angel."

"We've gotta get him outta there before they're forced to fight," Doyle said.  "That boy's not gonna be able to kill her, but I dunno if I can say the same thing about her.  If she really wants to live, our boss is gonna be dust in about an hour."

The announcer stepped into the ring and Gunn and Doyle watched on in sick fascination as he announced the evenings line-up of fights.  A bell sounded and two demons entered the arena.

"Melish vs Lasavik."

Gunn watched as the two demons fought for what seemed like hours.  Seven and a half minutes later, Melish stood above the broken body of Lasavik, barely able to stand.  

They watched six other fights, Doyle and Gunn waiting nervously for the final contestants.  A hush came over the crowd as the announcer went to make the final fight call.

"Ladies and gentlemen, you're about to see two skilled warriors go head to head in a battle that can only end with one of them standing.  The Slayer vs the Vampire, two of your current favourites.  The Slayer is on her fifteenth kill, whilst Angel is only on his eleventh.  Will the Vampire be able to withstand the strength and skill handed down by the Powers that Be to one young woman in her prime.  Ladies and gentlemen, I give you, the final battle of the evening."

Gunn and Doyle watched nervously as Buffy and Angel stepped into the arena.  There were conflicting shouts of 'Slayer' and 'Vampire' going through the crowd.  

Angel looked up into the audience, pleased to see Gunn and Doyle at the front.  Doyle just gave him a wink and held up the small silver key.  Angel surreptitiously pointed upwards, Buffy following his gaze.

"Remind me not to doubt your friends again," Buffy said with a small smile.

"Gladly," he said.

The bell sounded and the two of them began circling each other.  When Angel was facing Doyle and Gunn, Doyle dropped the silver key into the arena, no one else in the crowd noticing, or if they did, just thinking that someone had dropped a pen.  

Angel nodded at Buffy who lunged towards him, Angel ducking into a roll towards where the key had landed.  He picked it up in his hand and got to his feet.  He switched the key to his left hand, hiding it in his palm.  He grabbed Buffy by her right wrist, Buffy gasping in shock as the cuff came off in Angel's hand.   He held onto her wrist so that the cuff didn't fall to the ground and alert anyone that they were free.  

With some tricky hand manoeuvring, Buffy managed to get the key off Angel and unlocked his cuff, holding onto it in the same manner as Angel.  In a silent agreement, they jumped back from each other, cuffs in their hands.  Buffy, still having the key and being closest to the door to where the other demons were watching, threw the silver key to where it could be easily reached through the bars.

Melish was the only one to notice it.  He reached through and picked it up, wondering what it was.  He studied it for a moment and then looked to the fight suddenly realising something.  The Slayer and the Vampire had lost their cuffs.

He quickly touched the key to his cuff and watched in amazement as it fell to the ground.  He looked towards the other demons.

"Uh…guys?"

----------------------

**Wednesday: 10pm**

**2nd September 1998**

**California: Los Angeles**

Their captors weren't expecting the demons to try and break free.  They definitely weren't expecting for the demons to have been freed from their cuffs.  And they most certainly were not expecting a riot to break out between demons and spectators.

Most of the crowd left in a hurry, wanting to be nowhere near the demons who had started rebelling.  Mr McNamarra, owner of the demon fight club had been pulled into the pit and was being attacked from three sides.

Melish attacked from the front, Baker from the right and Angel from the left.  Angel was too busy taking out his anger on his captor to notice that another fight had broken out on the other wide of the pit.  Four demons versus the Slayer.

Buffy fought hard against the four demons, determined to get out of the pit alive.  She hadn't just found her family to be killed off like this.  She had been attacked all of a sudden, something she hadn't been expecting.  Obviously, she hadn't been wrong about not wanting to sleep without Angel guarding over her.  These demons wanted her dead.

She took another blow to the head, trying not to let it stun her.  She kicked one of the demons, only to be severely backhanded by another.  She fell against the wall of the pit, gasping for breath.  She regrouped and punched blindly, clipping one of the demons enough to make him stumble.  

The other three demons grinned at each other and advanced towards the weakening Slayer.

Spirit of Christmas and all that.  Thought I'd give you two updates…and leave you with a cliffhanger.  Dunno when I'll get around to updating next…family coming for the hols and stuff…hopefully it should be soon.  If not…my apologies!

In response to some questions: 

Will this be B/A? This version WILL NOT be B/A.  There will be alternate chapters beginning in chap 32.

Continuity stuff: I'm really tempted to write Angel's back story, but I dunno if you'd be interested…anyone reckon I should?  I've got most of it kinda figured out in my head, but I dunno if I wanna write it.

Toodles.

K.


	31. Donngel

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE: DONNGEL

**Wednesday: 10:15pm**

**2nd September 1998**

**California: Los Angeles**

Melish grabbed McNamarra's wrist and held it tightly while the other demon, Baker, fastened one of the metallic wrist cuffs to the man.  McNamarra looked at the silver object, panicking.

In a combined effort, Baker and Melish lifted McNamarra and tossed him up into the air, throwing him above the red line that the wrist cuffs wouldn't allow you to cross.  In a rush of dust, McNamarra was no more.  The three demons grinned at each other before Angel suddenly remembered his young friend.  He turned, panicked and saw Buffy backed against a wall trying to defend herself against four demons.

He raced towards her, throwing two demons to the side, and pushing the other two away from the young Slayer.  He turned and stood in front of her protectively.

"Stay away from her," Angel growled angrily, his game face coming out.

One of the demons, Krantanik, scowled at the vampire.

"She's just a Slayer!  One filthy little human.  And you defend her!"

"Yes, I defend her," Angel replied.  "I protected her inside, and I'm gonna keep doing it.  You want to take her, then you're gonna hafta come through me."

Krantanik hesitated for a moment before backing down.

He mumbled something softly as he walked away.  "Stupid vampire."

The other three demons grudgingly gave up the fight and followed Krantanik out of the arena.  Angel bent down to where Buffy had fallen to the ground.

"You okay?" he asked.

She nodded and tried to stand, her knees giving the second she put her entire weight on her feet.  Angel caught her and put an arm under her to keep her standing.

"You're not about to pass out on me are you?" he asked lightly.

"You wouldn't think I was a total wuss if I did, right?"

He chuckled slightly and lifted her completely, cradling her in his arms.  She sighed, thankful that she didn't have to try and walk anymore.  She rested her head against his shoulder.

"Yeah, I love those girls who can play a coupla hard sets of tennis with major injuries like yours," he teased.

She half-heartedly hit him across the chest.

Gunn and Doyle met them at the exit, worriedly looking over Angel.

"Geez man, are you alright?" Gunn asked.

Angel nodded and shifted Buffy's weight in his arms.  "I'm fine.  It's Buffy I'm worried about."

Doyle looked at the girl in concern.

"She alright?" Doyle asked.

"Mainly tired I think.  Probably starving.  Dehydrated as well," Angel answered.

"If you add homesick to that list, you're pretty spot on," Buffy said tiredly.

Gunn opened the door to the car, letting Angel sit in the backseat with Buffy next to him, her head on his shoulder.

"Back to your apartment, yeah?" Gunn asked, seating himself behind the wheel as Doyle took the passenger seat.

Angel just nodded.

------------------------

Thursday: 11am 

**3rd September 1998**

**California: Los Angeles**

Buffy awoke, completely disoriented.  She looked around her, trying to work out where she was.  She jumped when she saw a man sitting beside her bed in a chair, his eyes closed, a book spread open on his chest.  Her startled and frantic movements awoke Doyle.

"Hey there lass," he greeted softly.

She looked at him confused, and suddenly remembered him as one of the men from the night before.

"You're Doyle," she said quietly.

Doyle grinned.  "Angel's been talking about me again, I take it."

"Where is Angel?" she asked.

"He's still sleeping.  He asked me to sit with ya to make sure you did'na wake up on your lonesome," Doyle explained.

Buffy nodded and forced herself to relax. 

"You hungry?" he asked, standing up.

"Famished," she replied, her stomach growling at the thought of proper food.

"I'd offer to make ya breakfast in bed, but Angel's mighty picky about not letting people eat in here," Doyle said apologetically.  He suddenly rethought his last words and looked at her, panicked.  "Not that I know that from experience or nothing, mind you."

She giggled a little and nodded.  

"S'okay Doyle.  I get what you're saying."

He nodded and watched as Buffy pushed the bedcovers aside.  She looked down to see that she was wearing a man's dress shirt with a pair of boxers as well.  She didn't feel entirely comfortable knowing that someone had undressed her, but she could tell that nothing else had happened to her. 

She looked towards the chest of drawers next to the bed and saw that her necklace, watch and the key that had miraculously survived in her jeans pocket for the week and a half had been placed neatly atop the wooden chest. 

"Kitchen's this way," Doyle said, motioning the girl to follow him.

Buffy walked behind him and into the kitchen in the small apartment.  She saw Gunn seated at the table and he gave her a small smile.

"Hey girl," he greeted.  "How you feeling?"

"Like I just got beaten up by a couple of demons," she replied flippantly.

He grinned and motioned for her to take a seat.  He quickly poured her a cup of coffee that she took from him gratefully.  She sipped at it and sighed in contentment.

"Ahhh, caffeine.  How I've missed you," she said.

Doyle and Gunn grinned and Doyle quickly set a plate of toast and bacon in front of her.  She shot him a thankful smile and began eating ravenously.  

Angel had convinced her to eat some of the bread that they had been given whilst being held captive, but apart from a few pieces of stale bread, she hadn't eaten properly in almost eight days.  

"So, we should probably call your Watcher or something," Doyle said.  "You know the number?"

She shook her head.  "We only just moved here the night I was taken.  I didn't even write the number down."

"You know the address?" Gunn asked.

"No.  I just know that it was near the beach."

"That sort of narrows it down," Gunn said optimistically.  

Doyle reached for a pen and paper.  

"Here, write down your Watcher's name, and I'll see if we can find him.  He's probably been looking for you all week, so it shouldn't be too hard to track him down the other way," he explained.

"If you wanted, I could take you down to the beach, see if you could recognise the apartment from the outside," Gunn offered.

"That's not a bad idea," came a new voice from the doorway.

Buffy looked up and smiled at the vampire who had saved her life.

"Hey Angel," she greeted.

"Morning Buffy.  How're you feeling?" he asked.

She shrugged and gave him a small grin.

"I'm not in hell anymore, so that's a plus," she said.

He grinned and seated himself at the table.  Doyle and Gunn exchanged secretive glances at the sight of their boss actually smiling.  It wasn't something that they ever saw.  They also noticed that he'd failed to do his hair.  He'd obviously heard Buffy's voice and rushed to make sure she was alright with two practical strangers.

"You didn't open the agency this morning?" Angel asked Gunn and Doyle.

"Nope.  Figured that we'd give ourselves the day off while you guys recovered," Gunn explained.

"Agency?" Buffy asked.

"Donngel Investigations," Gunn replied proudly.

"Donngel?"

"Doyle, Gunn and Angel," Doyle explained.  "Put em together, and what have you got?  Donngel."

Buffy nodded.  She vaguely remembered Angel telling her something about the Agency, but he hadn't gone into detail about it all.

"Anyway, if you guys want to head out soon," Angel said.  "Make sure you keep your cell on in case we find an address before you guys do."

Gunn nodded and looked towards the Slayer.

"You ready?" he asked.

She looked down at her attire and shook her head.  "I'm thinking I might need some clothing here," she said.

"Pity," Gunn mumbled, soft enough so that no one heard, except for Angel.  Angel growled at his employee who looked startled by the low rumble coming from the vampire.  

"I'll go pick you up something," Doyle offered.  "What size are ya girlie?"

She told him her measurements and he left with Angel's credit card, promising to be back soon.  

------------------------

Thursday: 1pm 

**3rd September 1998**

**California: Los Angeles**

Gunn and Buffy strode down the street that ran adjacent to the beach, Buffy switching between looking at the apartments and staring longingly at the water.  After half an hour, and with no luck, Buffy finally sighed and gave in to temptation.  She turned off the road, pulling Gunn onto the sand with her.

"What are we doing?" he asked.

"Going near the water," she explained.

"I can see that," Gunn replied.  "Why?"

She shrugged and took her sandals off, walking towards the edge of the water.  Doyle had bought a knee-length denim skirt for her.  It had been surprisingly fashionable, and Buffy had had to compliment Doyle for his taste in women's clothes.  He had also bought her a pale blue peasant top to go with the skirt.  She had just been thankful that the back of the shirt covered her entire back.  She didn't particularly feel up to explaining why her back still had scars running across it.

Buffy dipped her feet into the water and grinned happily.  This was her first trip to the beach, though she had vague childhood memories of doing this with her parents before she had been taken to the Council.

Gunn saw the contentment written across the girls face and smiled at the sight of it.  She really was gorgeous.

"So, where'd you learn to fight like that?" he eventually asked.

"I've been training for this since I was little," she explained.

"How little?" he asked with a smirk.  "Cos honestly, you ain't really that big."

She glared at him.  "I've had at least twenty people comment on my height, and you know what's happened to each and every one of them?  They're dust blowing in the wind, my friend, so if you're not careful, you may find yourself being drowned."

He put his hands up in a show of surrender and just watched as she calmed herself down, looking out into the ocean.  Buffy sighed and closed her eyes, feeling the wind on her face.  She looked out at the water once more and smiled.

"I never knew it was this big," she said quietly.

Gunn looked at her in confusion.

"Knew that what was this big?"

"The ocean," she said.  

"You're never seen the ocean before?" he asked.

"Not that I can remember.  It's beautiful," she said wistfully.

He felt something in his heart twist at the sadness in her tone.  The comments he'd made to Doyle about this girls life sucking hadn't been too far off.  

"Tell me something about you that no one else knows," Buffy said suddenly.

Gunn looked at her, completely off-guard by the random question.  He thought about it for a moment before grinning.

"I once ate a whole jar of crunchy peanut butter with my fingers," he said.  "My momma just thought she'd forgotten to buy it at the store."

She laughed and wrinkled her nose.  Gunn just grinned and wondered whether he would ever meet anyone like this sad blonde girl ever again.

------------------------

Thursday: 1:45pm 

**3rd September 1998**

**California: Los Angeles**

Gunn's cell phone rang insistently, and the young man answered it with a groan.

"Donggel Investigations, this is Gunn," he said professionally.  He poked his tongue out at Buffy when she giggled at his phone manner.

"Gunn, it's Doyle," came the reply.

"Doyle man, you found an address?" Gunn asked, incredibly disappointed.  He didn't want to have to take her back to her apartment so soon.  

"Yeah, I got it."  

Gunn listened carefully and memorised the address that Doyle recited to him.  

"Alright, thanks man.  Yeah I'll make sure she gets there safe and sound."

With that, he hung up the phone and slid it back into his pocket.

"Looks like they found your Watcher," he explained.

She gave him a tired smile and stood up.

"Not that I haven't enjoyed hanging with you Gunn, but I really just wanna get back there," she said.

He nodded and forced himself to stand.  "No need to explain blondie.  Trust me, I'd be homesick in your situation as well."

With that, they walked away from the water towards the address that Gunn had been given.

Hey ppl!

I finally got a chance to get into my room.  Don'tcha hate when you have family over and you hafta give up ur room for one of them?  *sighs* so sad.  Anyways, may I just state that this fic isn't B/A, but that I have written it as an alternate.  I won't be posting it until the next time I update though.  There's four chaps of B/A stuff, which, lucky you, will be posted in a block rather than in four separate updates.  Anyways, hope you all had funky Christmases!  

Toodles.

K.  



	32. Ethan III

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO: ETHAN (III)

**Thursday: 2pm**

**3rd September 1998**

**California: Los Angeles**

Giles paced his apartment, worry stretched over his face.  He had been searching for nearly a week and a half for his missing Slayer, and still there was no sign of her.  When Ethan and Faith had arrived only a few days ago to find Buffy missing, the three of them had set out in a meticulous search of the city only to find absolutely nothing that could lead them to Buffy.

"Shouldn't the Council be able to find her?" Faith asked desperately.

Giles shook his head.  "They can tell you which city, but not the exact location," Giles said sadly.

Faith sighed and leant back in her chair.  She'd never been so worried in her life.  Her best friend was missing, and she knew that Buffy wasn't dead.  Faith would have felt it, she was certain of that.

"Well, we know she's still alive," Ethan said.  "It's a small comfort."

"Except that we still have no clue where the hell she is," Faith snapped.  "She could be anywhere and with anyone!  Who knows what they're doing to her."

Ethan and Giles both paled at the thought of the young girl being taken and used in horrible ways by thugs from LA.  Ethan swallowed hard.

"We don't know that for certain," Ethan said, trying to remain calm.

Faith rolled her eyes, not allowing herself to be optimistic.  She was panicked, and she intended to stay that way.

"Maybe I can try one of my contacts again," Giles said.

"You're tried every single one of them," Faith said.  "Twice.  None of them know anything about her or that stupid fighting arena that the Council sent you guys here for."

"Maybe we'll get lucky," Ethan said.

There was a knock on the door.  The three of them exchanged looks and scrambled towards the door, Faith using her youth and agility to get there first.  She flung open the door and grinned when she saw her best friend standing on the other side.  She quickly pulled Buffy into a hug.

"Geez B, what the hell you trying to do to us, huh?" she asked, trying desperately not to burst into tears of relief.

Buffy was then pulled from Faith's arms into Ethan's embrace.  He just held her tightly, placing a kiss to her forehead.

"You're trying to send me to an early grave, girl, I know it," he whispered.

He pulled away from her and Buffy turned to look at Giles.  She offered him a nervous smile.  He returned it easily and stepped forward, pulling his Slayer into a hug.  She sighed happily, thankful that she was back where she belonged.  With her family.

Ethan looked towards the young man who loitered in the doorway.  

"Who might you be?" Ethan asked.

"Name's Gunn," he replied.  "I work for Donngel Investigations."

"Donngel?" Faith repeated.  "What kind of a screwy name is that?"

Gunn just chuckled and stepped into the apartment when Ethan motioned for the young man to enter.  

"Three of us run the agency, we kinda combined our names to make it into one," he explained.

Giles and Buffy finally pulled away from each other, the group walking into the living room.

"So, do you care to tell us exactly where you've been all this time?" Ethan asked.

"It's a long story," Buffy replied.

The group sat down and all just looked at her.  She sighed softly and made herself comfortable beside Ethan, curling up next to him.  Gunn looked on in astonishment, wondering whether the two of them were together.  

"Alright, so I was out patrolling," Buffy began.  "I was jumped by a couple of demon guys.  Killed about half of them, went to turn on the others, but they were just gone.  Vanished into thin air. I turn around again, and BAM!  There they are.  Knocked me unconscious.  Next thing I know I'm waking gup in some prison or something, surrounded by demons, being told that the only way I can walk outta there is after my twenty-first kill."

Ethan rubbed her arms comfortingly and she nestled closer to him, thankful for the warmth of human contact.  That was what she had been desperately craving whilst she was down there.  Angel had been terrific, but she had always noticed how cold he had been.

"Anyways, long story less-long, this vamp gets pushed into the cage a couple of days in.  The weird thing is, he's got a soul."

"A soul?" Giles asked, sitting up with interest.  "I wasn't aware that vampires could have souls."

"He explains that it's a curse, a punishment.  Anyways, he works with these two other guys, helping those who need help in LA.  His two buddies work out where he is and come to the rescue, which caused something of a coup in the demon petting zoo.  We eventually get the hell outta hell, and after either passing out or falling asleep, I wake up in this weird but strangely well-furnished apartment with some little Irish guy watching me sleep.  Said Irish guy was nice enough to make me breakfast and buy me a new outfit _and_ find out your address, and…well, here I am," she finished.

Faith whistled softly, wondering how her best friend always seemed to be so good at finding all sorts of trouble.  She wondered if it was a Buffy Summers thing or a Slayer thing.

"And this…vampire with a soul," Giles said, unable to move on from such a fascinating topic.  "He helps people?"

"Yup.  Angel, Gunn and Doyle, they run Donngel Investigations," she explained.

"Angel?" Giles repeated.  "Angelus?"

Buffy's eyes widened.  She hadn't made that connection.

"Wait…Angelus as in the 'Scourge of Europe' Angelus?" she asked.

Buffy looked towards Gunn who just shrugged.  He had only ever known Angel to be a good vampire with a soul.  He'd been reluctant about joining up with Angel at first, but he found that he truly liked the dark vampire.  They were friends.

"Angelus was…brutal, from what I remember," Buffy said quietly.

"A violent and vicious demon on all accounts.  I knew that something had happened to him over a century ago, but…the thought of him having a soul never once occurred to me," Giles said.

"Why a soul?" Faith asked.  "I mean, what's the point?"

"To make him feel guilt over every kill that he ever made," Giles explained.

"But it wasn't him that did it," Buffy protested.  "The demon has control, your soul is completely gone.  Whoever it was that cursed him were screwed in the head when they thought that one up."

"But he's good now," Gunn interjected.  "He helps people.  That's gotta be worth something, right?"

"Perhaps," Giles conceded.  "I don't doubt that he is good.  If he weren't…Buffy wouldn't have made it out of that arena alive."

Buffy glared at her Watcher.  "As though I don't already have enough nightmares," she said.

He had the grace to look sheepish, going a slight shade of red.  He shook it off and looked at his Slayer seriously.

"Do we need to do anything about the creatures running this demon fighting ring?" he asked.

"They were people," she replied.  "And no.  They're dead."

Giles' eyes narrowed.  "People?  Humans were in charge of this?"

"Yup.  And the crowd was all human too," she said.  "And can I just add, killing with people cheering you on, not as simple as it looks."

"I should feel worse about the thought of those humans being dead," Giles said softly.  "Yet I can't bring myself to really give a damn."

"Join the club," Buffy said, stifling a yawn.  She stood up slowly, her muscles aching.  She bent down and kissed Ethan's cheek.

"Now, if you don't need me for anything else, I have major plans to sleep for the rest of the week," she said.

She turned towards Gunn who stood up as well.  She engulfed him in an impromptu hug.

"Tell Doyle and Angel I said thanks," she said.  "I'll probably swing by in a couple of days."

He nodded and watched her give a small wave to Faith and Giles before turning and walking into the bedroom she had set herself up in the previous week.   

Gunn looked at the small group.  "I gotta head out people," he said.  "Was nice meeting you all."

The group nodded, and Giles stood to escort him to the door.

"Thank you for returning her to us," he said.

Gunn grinned.  "No problem.  Just helping those who need it."

"Well, I'm certain that Beth would have problems with needing the help, but…we are grateful.  We'll probably be seeing more of each other in the next few days."

Gunn nodded and the two men shook hands.  Gunn could only hope that he would see the small blonde girl again.

Well, guess what ppl?  Next chapter begins the B/A alternates.  YAY!  Who's excited?!  *ahem* ignore me.  I got sunburnt and I'm all kinds of sore, so…I'll just hush now.  Actually, while I'm on a roll…I might just answer some stuff:

Why not B/A: cos I ain't a B/Aer.  I've got nothing against B/A, but it's too melodramatic for my tastes. 

B/S: There will be a B/S alternate, but it won't be at all fluffy.

B/G: there will be B/G alternates, and they will be fluffy.

B/Gunn: Uh…no.  Sadly not.  I was gonna, but…I just didn't.

The final ship: well…that's just gonna be a surprise I think.  It's REALLY not important who she gets with…it's about the journey.  (oh dear lord, somebody shoot me…I'm souding like a fricken philosopher now…)  Alright.  I think I'm done now.  

Oh…no.  I'm still here.  HAPPY NEW YEAR (well…almost.)  Don't be too trashed, drive safely, and don't swim without any water.  It's really hard to do without looking like a real moron!

Toodles.

K.


	33. Angel II

Alright…let's get all kinds of complicated shall we?  *grins*  This is still NOT B/A on this thread.  BUT, I have written three chaps that ARE B/A cos…well, it worked nicely to have some B/A stuff.  It ends all fluffily and I won't be continuing that story unless I get heaps bored and find myself feeling oddly motivated, which probably won't happen.  If you do go and read the B/A stuff, please please PLEASE come back and keep reading even if you don't lack the lack of shippiness!!  

http://www.angelfire.com/ks3/schoolies/btvs/itb33angel_ba.html 

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE: ANGEL (II)  
  


**Saturday: 3pm**

**5th September 1998**

**California: Los Angeles**

Buffy, Giles, Ethan and Faith walked into the building that housed Donngel Investigations, each of them looking around curiously.  Doyle, seated at his desk, with his feet on the table looking extremely bored, jumped to his feet when he recognised one of the visitors.

"Hey girlie," he greeted, a smile on his face.  "This yer crew?"

"Hey Doyle," she replied, returning his smile.  "These are my friends, Faith, Ethan and Giles."

Doyle nodded his greeting to the other three.

"So…how's things?  You feeling any better?" he asked.

"Slayer healing.  It's good for pretty much anything," she replied.

"Good to hear it," he said.  "Angel should just be getting up, so you'll hafta wait a bit.  Takes him about half the hour to do his damn hair."

Buffy grinned.  She remembered Angel complaining once about his hair doing strange things while they had been locked away.  She hadn't noticed anything different about it, but when he entered the room, his hair spiked, she swallowed hard.  She had thought he was attractive when he was all rugged and ruffled from a fight.  When he was clean with his hair done properly, he was absolutely devastating.

"Buffy," the vampire greeted, a smile coming to his face.  Doyle rolled his eyes and sat back to watch the display.

The vampire and the Slayer hugged tightly, Giles watching nervously while Ethan and Faith just watched.  Buffy and Angel drew away from each other, Buffy smiling shyly.

"Guys, this is Angel," she said.  "This is Giles, my Watcher, my dad Ethan and my best friend Faith."

There was a chorus of nice to meet you's go around.  Gunn walked into the office a few moments later.  He grinned when he saw Buffy.

"Hey Buffy," he greeted.  She smiled at him but didn't offer him a hug.  He seemed slightly disheartened by that, but let it slide.

"What brings you to our offices?" Angel asked.

"I…we came to say goodbye," Buffy said.

Angel's face fell completely.  "Goodbye?  You're leaving?"

Buffy nodded.  "I'm going home.  To Sunnydale."

"Now?"

"In about ten minutes, yeah," Buffy said.  For the first time that day she actually felt sad to be leaving.  She desperately wanted to be back in Sunnydale with her mom and her sister, but leaving behind three new friends was going to be hard.

"Geez, the girl has one bad experience with being kidnapped and sold into slavery and she runs back home," Doyle teased.

Buffy couldn't help but laugh at that, thankful that someone had lightened the sombre mood.

"You'll come back though," Angel said.  "Maybe to visit or…something."

"I think I could do with some serious time on the beach," Buffy said, smiling at Gunn as she said it.  He grinned back at her, thankful to not be ignored.  "Get a tan, maybe see the beach by moonlight as well."

Doyle stepped forward, seeing that neither the vampire nor the Slayer was about to begin with the goodbyes.  He hugged Buffy briefly, the small Slayer hugging him back.

"Take care of yourself girlie," he said.  "And if you need help, you know who to call."

She nodded and squeezed his hand thankfully.

Gunn stepped forward as well.  "It's been real," he said.  "And I'm gonna make sure you keep your promise about visiting.  Even if I hafta come to wherever you live and kick your skinny white ass to get you back here."

She grinned and hugged him.  "Count on it."

Angel just looked at her before crumbling and hugging her again.  

"You better not have been kidding about the beach by moonlight," he said.

She shook her head and made a silent promise to him that she would return.  

Angel stepped back and leant against Doyle's desk casually.  Giles stepped forward and put a gentlemanly hand on Buffy's back.

"We really ought to go if we wish to beat traffic," he said.

Ethan stepped forward and put an arm around Buffy's shoulder, causing both Gunn and Angel to grimace with jealousy.

"It was nice meeting you guys," Faith called over her shoulder.  She had seen the reactions of both Gunn and Angel to the tiny blonde, and while part of her was jealous, she also couldn't blame them for their affection for the blonde girl.  She had always had something about her that made people love her.  Faith couldn't fault the two men for being drawn to something that Faith herself had been drawn to as well.

Angel could only watch as she walked away, casting a confused look over her shoulder before she rounded the corner and disappeared out of sight.  Doyle stepped towards Angel and put a brotherly hand on the vampire's shoulder.

"She's a good kid, Angel," Doyle said.

Angel just nodded.  "Yeah.  She is."

"But you're gonna get yourself in trouble walking down a path like that," Doyle reminded him.  "She's the Slayer Angel.  And you're a Vampire.  The chances of something like that working are one in a million billion trillion, you know what I'm saying?"

Angel sighed and looked away, hating when his friend was right.  That girl deserved the world and everything in it, and he couldn't even give her the daylight.  If he ended up taking a chance with her, he could ruin her life completely.  He wanted more for her than that.  

Without another word, Angel stood and went into his office, trying his hardest to keep his mind on the newest case, rather than on the blonde goddess that had just walked out of his life. 

Just to clarify, cos I know it's heaps confusing!  Try me, it's been really difficult keeping up with writing it, so I dunno how yo're handling reading it.  I've just posted the B/A chaps at my site (link at top…it works, I swear!!)  If you have issues with using Angelfire, cos I got some emails about ppl not being able to view my site, email me (katters_s@hotmail.com) and I'll send you a copy of the chapters.  Hope you enjoyed either version and I would LOVE to hear from you on reviews or emails!

Toodles.

K.


	34. Giles II

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR: GILES (II)

**Tuesday: 10:30pm**

**19th January 1999**

**California: Sunnydale**

Buffy sat in the apartment in the house she and Giles shared, sitting cross legged on the couch as Giles stood beside her.  Giles dangled a pale pink crystal in front of her.

"This one?" he asked.

She looked at it for a moment.  "Amethyst." 

"Used for?" 

"Charm bags, money spells and for cleansing ones aura," she replied.

He smiled and nodded, putting the crystal down on the table.  "Very good."

"What I wanna know is how you know when to cleanse your aura," Buffy said, grinning impishly at him.  "Does someone come along and write 'wash me' on it?"

"Buffy, I'm aware of your distaste for studying vibratory stones, but since it is part of your training, I would appreciate your glib-free attention," he said.

She looked at him, taken aback by the sudden reprimand.  He usually didn't mind if she made a few jokes during their training.  

"I'm sorry," she apologised quickly, knowing that if he was testy, it would be better to not push him.

He breathed in deeply, trying to calm himself down.  He'd been on edge for the last week, ever since a package from the Council had arrived.  Buffy was turning eighteen the next day, which meant only one thing for a Slayer.  The Cruciamentum.  A test designed by the Council to prove that the Slayer was able to work with her wits, rather than with her strength.  Giles was to inject her with a specially made compound that would strip Buffy of her strength and then lead her to an old boarding house somewhere in Sunnydale to defeat a vampiric foe.  

The problem was, Giles really _really_ didn't want to give her the injections.  It wasn't that he didn't think she couldn't handle herself without her strength, he was fairly certain that she had the cunning to defeat anything that anyone put in front of her.  He just didn't want to betray her so terribly by injecting her in the first place.  It was the ultimate betrayal.

Giles closed his eyes in thought for a moment before deciding to plunge ahead with what he had been ordered to do.  He brought out a large crystal that the Council had had specially made for the purposes of the Cruciamentum and placed it on the coffee table in front of his Slayer.

"Alright…just try to concentrate," he said.

She nodded and looked intently at the fault in the centre of the crystal.  Without even realising it, she fell into a trance.

------------------------

An hour later, Buffy was patrolling through the streets of Sunnydale.  Faith had offered time and time again to go with her, but Buffy didn't want her to be put at risk.  Buffy did, however, go over to Faith's every evening just so the ex-Potential could have peace of mind knowing that the Slayer was alright.

Buffy sighed, wondering whether anything interesting would happen on patrol.  Things had become quieter since she had been stationed in  Sunnydale, and she had hopes that it was because of her staking so many of the older vampires that had been making the fledglings.

She heard a shift in the dirt behind her and stopped to wait for the vampire to rise.  When the vamp had got one hand out of the grave, Buffy shot her fist through the dirt and staked the vampire before it had a chance to rise completely.  It crumbled to dust.

She didn't even realise she was being attacked from behind until she had fallen headfirst towards a bushy area of the cemetery.  She re-grouped quickly and was on her feet facing the vampire before it could attack again.  She went to lunge towards it with her stake at the ready but she stopped, a sudden feeling of dizziness coming over her.  

The vampire took advantage of her momentary distraction and jumped towards her, tackling her to the ground.  Buffy went to throw him off her but found herself completely weakened of her strength.  Before she had a chance to panic, she pushed through her fear and forced herself to rely on the Council training she had been given rather than on the strength she had come to rely on so much. 

She flipped the vampire over and scrambled to her feet.  She ducked a punch and shot her fist towards the vampire, the vamp barely registering that she had hit it.  Buffy didn't have time to think this through clearly and moved to improvise in order to kill this vampire.  While still ducked, she brought her leg our in a low spinning kick, hitting the vampire in the back of his knees, sending him tumbling.

Before the vampire could regroup, Buffy shoved a stake through his heart.  She tried to calm her breathing but quickly rethought that idea.  With a slowness she hadn't experienced since before her calling, she ran back to the apartment, her chest heaving and her thoughts racing wildly.  She was weak.  She had no strength at all.  This was not of the good.

----------------------

She raced into the apartment, slamming the door behind her.  She leant on it grateful that she was inside where she couldn't be attacked.  She had had to fight another vampire on the way home and had very nearly lost against it.  She had managed to stake it when it had made a particularly stupid mistake, and she had raced the rest of the way home.

Giles looked up when he saw Buffy burst through the door.  He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that she was alright.  She looked horrified by something, so he knew that the injections had done as they were supposed to.

"Beth," he greeted.  He still wouldn't use the nickname that everybody else called her by.  Buffy was somewhat grateful for it.  It sounded right coming from her Watcher.  Probably something to do with the accent.  "Are you alright?"

"Giles, something's wrong," she stated.

"Wrong?" he repeated.  He could only hope that he didn't fail completely at keeping up the charade that he knew nothing of what had happened to her.

"I just got a bad case of the dizzies and nearly got killed by a couple of newbie fledglings," she stated.  "How's that for strange?"

"Well, perhaps you've got a bad flu bug or something," he suggested.

Buffy sighed, hoping that that was the case.  "No. No, not sick. I _can't_ get sick. My mom and Tim are taking me and Dawn to the ice show on Friday night. Apparently, mom used to do it every year for my birthday when I was little. If I cancel, it's gonna break her heart."

"Well, just, um, take it easy for forty-eight hours. You know, forego patrolling until you feel yourself again," he said.

Buffy grimaced at the thought of that.  It wasn't that she enjoyed patrolling, it was more that she began to feel antsy if she didn't fight something every so often.  It was a good work-out for her, something she'd been doing since she was five, and it was hard to be told to stop, even for a day. 

"Maybe I'm just tired," she said.  "I might just go to bed."

He nodded, thankful that he at least wouldn't have to lie to her anymore that night.

"I can get outta training tomorrow right?" Buffy asked.  "Cos it's my birthday?"

Giles rolled his eyes at her persistence.  She'd been pushing to have the day off all week, and every time he'd told her no.  For one thing, she would be halfway through the actual Cruciamentum test during the evening, and for another, he wanted her as prepared as possible while she was without her strength.

"No, you know that Beth," he said firmly.  "I've given you Friday night off to go to the Ice Show, so you can have the entire day off if you'd like.  But not tomorrow."

She rolled her eyes and grinned at him even though he'd said no.  "Stuffy," she teased.

She was up the stairs before he could reply.

Thanks to everyone for your reviews and emails!  Glad you enjoyed the alternate B/A chaps for those of you who read them.  And to whoever emailed Kate to tell her off for liking Kate Lockley…can I just say that you're kinda silly!  Come on, Kate is one of the most common names!  I get called Kate!!  Sheesh.  ;)  Happy New Year ppl!!

Toodles.

K.


	35. Quentin

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE: QUENTIN

**Wednesday: 9am**

**20th January 1999**

**California: Sunnydale**

Giles closed the door behind him, leaving Buffy to sleep in until ten in the morning.  It wasn't that he wanted Buffy to have a horrible birthday, it was that he _needed_ for her to be prepared for when she had to face a vampire without her strength.  He needed for her to be able to rely on her training and on her intuition and cunning.

Giles walked away from their small house and walked towards a boarding house on the outskirts of Sunnydale.  It had been a boarding house in the early 1900's, and after several horrible incidents involving ruptured throats, the boarding house had been closed down and never used again.

Giles entered quietly and looked around, trying to get a feel for the building that he was meant to send Buffy to later that evening.

"Rupert," a voice called from behind him.

Giles turned and groaned when he recognised the man that stood in front of him.

"Quentin Travers," Giles said coldly.  He hadn't been expecting the Council Representative to be Quentin.  He had hoped for it to be one of the Council members that he was more friendly with.  Not to mention the fact that when Buffy saw Travers, she was probably going to try and kill both Travers and Giles on sight.

"I trust everything has been prepared for this evening," Travers said.

"She's lost her strength, yes," Giles replied.

"Good, good," Travers said.  "And she knows nothing of our involvement?"

Giles glared at the older man hatefully.  

"If she knew the truth about what we'd done, I wouldn't be standing here talking to you.  I highly doubt the only thing I would be doing would be getting measured for my coffin."

Travers chuckled a little at that.  

"I think you're over-exaggerating a little, Rupert."

"Do you really think that?" Giles asked.

"Are you saying you have no control over your Slayer?" Travers asked.  "Honestly Rupert, I disciplined that girl enough that she should know not to be insolent to her betters."

Giles felt sick at the mention of the discipline that Buffy had been on the receiving end of when she had been under the care of the Council.

"I find that my Slayer responds better to being treated as an equal rather than as some sort of animal to be leashed," Giles said coldly.

Travers just looked at Giles with sceptical raised eyebrows.

"Well," Travers said slowly, "she's your Slayer I suppose.  That girl was nothing but trouble at the Council.  She never did learn to keep her opinions to herself."

"And let me guess, you beat her for showing even the slightest bit of originality," Giles said.

"I taught her everything she knows," Travers said.

Giles shook his head.  

"No.  You taught her to fear men.  You taught her to fear people in authority.  You taught her that her opinions, her thoughts didn't matter at all.  You tried to teach her that she shouldn't be kind to others, but you never could take that away from her, try as you might."

"She told you this?" Travers asked.

"She didn't have to.  I saw the scars," Giles said.

Travers looked at Giles with narrowed eyes.

"You aren't becoming too attached to this girl are you?" 

"When it comes to her slaying, I have clear and impartial judgement, as the Council orders me to have.  When it comes to other things, then perhaps I am a little short-sighted.  But it strengthens her," Giles said.  "Didn't you ever notice how much better she fought because of the friends she made?"

Travers hesitated at that.

"I must admit she was well-trained in fighting," he grudgingly conceded.

Giles shook his head, unable to believe that Travers was so stubborn when it came to Buffy Summers.  

"She fights for a reason," Giles explained.  "And if I am that reason, then I will give that to her.  As a Watcher, I swore to help her in whatever way I could, and if caring for her is helping her to stay alive, then I will care for her."

Travers shook his head disdainfully.

"You know why we aren't to become attached to them," Travers said.  "It's for our own good, Rupert."

"Then maybe we should stop being selfish and give these girls some proper care," Giles said calmly.

Travers just placed his hands in his pockets, unable to be swayed by Giles' argument.

"To each their own I suppose.  As long as she completes the test," Travers said.

"She'll be here by seven," Giles assured Travers.


	36. Spike

Alrighty, once again, I've written two version of this chapter.  This is the one to read if you DO NOT like Buffy and Spike together.  There's a teensy bit of shipiness cos I am a B/Ser, but not enough to make you hate me.  If you WANT to read the B/S version, it's posted at my site so, for those of you who wanna read the B/S version go to: http://www.angelfire.com/ks3/schoolies/btvs/itb36spike_bs.html 

I am warning you right now that it won't end fluffily, so don't expect it to.  It will pick up back in Chap 37 in this version here and WILL NOT be mentioned, but I just really felt motivated to write a B/S chapter cos I've had a few suggestions from some different people.  Anyways…I'll stop typing this now and let you get on with the reading of this version or the B/S one.

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX: SPIKE

**Wednesday: 7pm**

**30th January 1999**

**California: Sunnydale**

Buffy and Giles had spent almost the entire day training and Buffy was becoming accustomed to fighting without her strength.  She still had all the skills that she had previously possessed, and was somewhat grateful for all of her training from the Council.  By six-thirty in the evening, Giles was bordering on a nervous break-down.  He didn't want to send Buffy to the boarding house to complete the Cruciamentum, but he knew that this had been the done thing for over two thousand years.  

"Do you think I should patrol?" Buffy asked.

Giles looked up at her, startled by the sudden voice in the room that had previously been silent.

"What?  Oh, uh…yes.  Yes, you probably should.  You're still remarkably strong, even if you aren't as strong as you were yesterday," he said.

Buffy nodded and went to the weapons chest, pulling out a few of her favourites.  She was surprised by how heavy some of them seemed in comparison to when she usually took them out slaying.

"There's actually somewhere that I wanted you to have a look at," Giles said before Buffy walked out the door.  "There's an old boarding house on Prescott Lane.  Some people have been complaining of disturbances for the last few days."

"Don't you think we should wait for a day or two?  Just til I get my strength back?  If there's a nest or something, I won't be able to take all of them on," she reminded him.

"Perhaps just do a little re-con and come back for tonight," Giles suggested.

Buffy shrugged and nodded.  "Alright.  You're the Watcher."

With that, she left, heading towards Prescott Lane.  Giles could only sit on the edge of his couch and wait until she returned.  Travers had expressly forbidden him to go anywhere near the boarding house.  Giles sighed and began to pray.

------------------------

(I suck at writing fight scenes, so my apologies)

Buffy crept towards the boarding house, feeling nervous.  She'd never really felt nervous on patrol before, but now she was a lot weaker than usual.  With her heart hammering in her chest, she pushed open the front door and crept into the darkened building.  She took one of the stakes from her pocket and wedged it into the door to keep it from slamming shut on her in case the door jammed.

She went further into the building, her crossbow at the ready.  She listened intently for any sounds around her, her steady breathing the only thing filling the silence.

She walked further in, going from room to room.  Half of them were locked tight, and the rooms that weren't shut were empty.  She came to the end of the corridor and saw a flight of stairs.  Taking a deep breath, she went to descend them, but before she had a chance to even put a foot on the first step, she was tackled from behind and she and her attacker tumbled down the stairs.

She landed heavily, her assailant on top of her.  The hairs on the back of her neck still tingled even though she had lost her strength.  Vampire.  She quickly moved away from the creature and regrouped, shooting a bolt from her crossbow at the vamp.  It dodged and lunged towards her.  

Buffy flung the crossbow away and quickly grabbed one of her stakes from her pockets.  

Vampire and Slayer circled each other, the vampire attacking quickly, but Buffy blocked all of its hits.  She managed to get in a roundhouse kick to the vampire's head, sending it stumbling backwards into a wall.  After a five minute dance, the vampire was dust in the wind.  She breathed a sigh of relief and wondered whether there were other vampires here.

Her question was answered in fairly short order when she felt the familiar tingling on the back of her neck.  From behind her, she heard someone clapping slowly.  She turned to face the creature and tried not to let the shock she felt show on her face.

In front of her was a young man, no more than twenty-five.  He had bleached blonde hair and was wearing a black ensemble with a red over-shirt beneath his full-length leather duster.  He wasn't in game-face, an obvious sign that this vampire wasn't a fledgling.  She tried not to dwell on the fact that this was the third vampire that she had felt attracted to in the space of two and a half years.

"Nice work luv," he complimented her.  British.  

"Who are you?" she asked sharply.  He just grinned cockily at her.

"You'll find out in about ten minutes," he assured her.

She knew this game all too easily.  She really did prefer English-speaking vampires.

"What happens in ten minutes?" she asked, knowing the answer only too well.  Only, this time, she was afraid that the vampire would be right.

"I kill you."

She just smirked at him and tilted her head to the side.

"Why wait until then?" she asked.  "Come on.  Kick my ass."

The vampire grinned and nodded moving slowly towards her.  He looked at the stake in her hands.  

"Do we really need weapons for this?" he asked.

"I just like them," she replied glibly.  "They make me fell all slayerly."

The circled each other, sizing the other up.  He was a good foot taller than she was and he looked incredibly intimidating.

"You got a name?" she asked.

He grinned.  "Name's Spike," he replied.

"Spike," she repeated.  She thought about it for a moment.  "Spike.  William the Bloody.  I've heard about you."

"Been doing your homework then, luv?"

"William the Bloody, sired in 1880 by Drusilla, childe of Angelus of Aurelius.  Earned his nickname by torturing people with railroad spikes.  The Slayer of Slayers.  You've killed, what?  Four Slayers," she said.

"Five," he replied.

She looked at him, impressed.  "I hadn't heard about the fifth."

"Well, that's five including you pet," he said, grinning.

She just shook her head, trying to look confident.  

"I'm not letting you walk out of this building," she told him.

"You really think you can stop me?" he asked.

She shrugged.  She honestly didn't know whether she would walk away from this fight.  She desperately hoped so.

They circled each other once more and then simultaneously they lunged towards each other.  The dance was on.  

Spike had to admit that the girl was a good fighter.  He'd fought four other Slayers and none of them moved like this girl.  The others had been the properly trained Council girls that had perfect martial arts techniques but no imagination.  This Slayer was a dancer.  An involuntary grin came to his face.

"You're good, Slayer," he complimented as Buffy managed to backhand him across the cheek, sending Spike tumbling into the wall behind them.

"Thanks," she replied, bouncing back into the fight.  

She was feeling the fight like she'd never felt them before.  Pain was shooting through her body, but she refused to give in to him.  He grabbed her and threw her across the room, her small frame colliding with a metal pole that was supporting the ceiling.  She fell to the ground with a loud thump.

Spike advanced on her and grabbed her neck.  He shoved her against the pole and vamped out.

"As a personal favour from me to you I'll make it quick. It won't hurt a bit," he assured her. 

Buffy panicked for a moment before remembering her training.  She threw her head forward violently and slammed her forehead against his, stunning Spike and sending him backwards.  She moved away from the pole and grabbed her stake.

"No Spike," she replied.  "It's gonna hurt a lot."

They continued their dance, Buffy slowly being backed into the wall.  Spike went to punch her, but she quickly ducked, Spike's hand going through the plaster wall.  Buffy quickly ducked behind him and sent a spinning kick to the back of his neck.  Spike looked vaguely impressed.

"Now _that_ hurt."

His hand closed around something in the wall and he yanked out a two-by-four.  He swung it quickly at the Slayer, sending her sprawling into the wall.  He advanced on her, swinging the wood back again.  She ducked the first swing, but the second one caught her stomach.  

"But not as much as this will."

The next hit immobilised her completely, the Slayer sprawled in the corner of the basement.  Buffy tried to force herself to get up, but the pain in her body was too great.  Her body fell limply to the floor and she struggled to breath.  She could tell that she'd cracked a rib.

Spike stood above her and looked down at her broken body.

"You're a good dancer pet," he complimented.  "Never met a Slayer who moved like you.  Too bad that you're gonna meet the same bloody end as they did."

She looked up at him, her vision beginning to blur.  She was going to pass out, she knew it, but she refused to give in that easily.

"You had to wait until I was weak to beat me," she said quietly, his vampiric hearing the only reason he even heard the quiet comment.

He looked down at her startled.

"Weak?  What are you on about Slayer?" he asked.

"You think this is my full strength?" she asked.  "Is that how you killed them?  Did you wait until they didn't have their strength as well?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said dangerously.  

She forced herself to stand up, holding onto the wall to keep her steady.  She met his eyes easily.

"Why'd you come to Sunnydale, Spike?" she asked.

"To kill you," he replied easily.

"How'd you know where I was gonna be?" 

He thought about that for a moment.  Someone had tipped him off, and he'd come running to Sunnydale.  He couldn't remember who had told him or why.  He'd just had a compulsion to come to Sunnydale.  He'd had that compulsion four other times in the last two hundred and twenty years as well.  Each time, he had killed a Slayer.

"What are you getting at luv?" he asked.

"Do you wait for the Slayers to lose their strength before you kill them?" she asked angrily.  "Is that how you defeat them?"

He backhanded her, hating that she was calling him a cheat.  She coughed and spat out a mouthful of blood.  

"Come on Spike, tell me.  Is that how you beat them?  You waited until they'd lost their strength too and then you killed them.  Not exactly fair is it?" she asked.

Spike growled and shoved her against the wall, his hand resting beside her head, their faces so close that Buffy could feel his cold un-needed breath on her lips.  She tried to move away from him, but with the wall behind her, and his arm blocking her exit, she had no choice but to stay where she was.

"Are you calling me unsporting?" he asked angrily.

"Well, you're the one who's waiting until they can't defend themselves properly," she said calmly.  Her heart was beating loudly and she knew that he would be able to hear it.  "It's not really cricket is it?"

He glared at her and pushed his face closer to hers.  He pulled back suddenly and began laughing.

"Oh, you're good Slayer," he complimented genuinely.  "Nearly had me fooled there.  Trying to get me to think I'm cheating.  Just cos you lot can't handle my strength."

He lowered his mouth to her neck and Buffy tensed, expecting his fangs to dig into her flesh.  The pain didn't come.  Instead, she felt his lips on her neck, kissing gently.  She tensed, having no idea of what he was doing.

She tried to push him away, but he growled angrily and caught hold of her wrists, and leant his entire weight onto her hands to keep them from moving.  She was effectively caught between the wall and his body, one of his hands grasping both of her wrists between their bodies, and his other hand on the wall beside her head.

"I like you, Slayer," he whispered, continuing to kiss her neck.  "You're not like the other ones.  You've got this fiery passion.  There's something dark in you, my little dragon."

"I'm not yours," she replied, trying to push him away again.

His fangs dug into her neck sharply and she cried out in pain.  He didn't drink at all, just kept his fangs in her flesh.  He took a tiny sip and devamped, licking at the two puncture marks.

She saw only two ways out of this.  Either anger him even more and have him kill her on the spot, or play his game and have a chance at coming out of this on top.

She rolled her head to the side, granting him better access.  The hand on the wall came to tangle in her hair while the other kept hold of her wrists tightly.  She was surprised that he didn't sink his fangs into her and drain her dry.  

Her hands moved slowly, deliberately, beginning to play with the bottom of Spike's black t-shirt.  His grip loosened, and she completely freed her wrists, bring one hand to his back, sliding under his shirt.  Spike let out a soft but approving growl.  He didn't notice that Buffy's other hand had moved behind her to the spare stake that was hidden at the back of her pants.

She pulled it out slowly and brought her hand to his back, careful to not let him know that she was holding it.  He brought his lips up to meet hers and the second their lips met, she found her strength and shoved the stake through his back into his heart.  

In the seconds that it took for Spike to dust, he shot her a surprised and impressed look.  As soon as crumbled completely, she let out a breath of relief.  She walked as fast as she could away from the building towards home, silently praying that no vampires would attack her while she had little to no energy to fight them back.  She somehow managed to make it home in one piece.

(Lots of the dialogue was taken from "School Hard" and in no way do I own those pieces of speech.)

I took stacks of liberty with Spike and his background.  If you don't recognise it, I probably made it up just cos it worked kinda nicely.  I've always wanted to do a version of Helpless where Spike was the vamp she had to battle, and it fit in quite well I think…dunno.  My apologies to B/Sers who wanted him alive for more than one chapter!!


	37. Travers II

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN: TRAVERS (II)

**Wednesday: 8:30pm**

**30th January 1999**

**California: Sunnydale**

Buffy opened the door to the apartment, her entire body throbbing with pain, her head pounding loudly.  She'd never realised how much she had taken her strength and healing powers for granted.  She shut the door quietly and turned shakily.  She stopped with a gasp as she saw a familiar face staring at her.

"Miss Summers."

She breathed in deeply and willed herself not to panic.  "Mr Travers."

She hadn't seen him in over two and a half years, but she hadn't forgotten what he had put her through.  She hadn't forgotten the ten years of being under his thumb, of being beaten and yelled at and humiliated.  She hadn't forgotten the fear and hatred that was associated with Quentin Travers.

Buffy looked quickly around the room, unable to see her Watcher.

"Where's Mr Giles?"

She didn't know why, but her Council training seemed to come to the forefront, and calling Giles 'Mr Giles' seemed to be almost second nature. She couldn't believe that she was cowering in fear because of this man.  It had been so ingrained into her to fear him, that even now, at eighteen, she couldn't stop.

She heard someone move behind her.  She smiled when she saw that Giles was alright.  For a few horrifying moments, she had thought that Travers had done something to her Watcher.

"My sources tell me that you just defeated William the Bloody," Travers said.

Buffy nodded, wondering what sources those were and why he even cared.

"Congratulations then," Travers continued.  "You passed."

"Passed?" she repeated, confusion marring her voice.

She sat down as far away from Travers as she could.  Her body was aching, and she had no desire to let Travers anywhere near her in case he decided to make up for the two and a bit years that she hadn't been in his 'care'.

"The test, Miss Summers," he said, as though the answer was obvious.

"What test?" she asked, trying to contain her anger.

Travers looked towards Giles who pulled out a small wooden box.  He opened it, his hands shaking slightly.  Inside the box was a small syringe and a vial of a light orange liquid.  Buffy felt her breath catch in her throat.

"What is that?" she whispered.

"It's an organic compound…of muscle relaxants and adrenal suppressers. The effect is temporary. You'll be yourself again in a few days," Giles explained, his voice shaky.

Buffy's hand reached out to touch the small box.  Everything suddenly fell into place.  She was weak because the Council had wanted to test her.  She looked to her Watcher who couldn't meet her eyes.

"You?" she asked. 

"It's a test, Beth," he explained.  He removed his glasses, not wanting to see his Slayer's reaction to what he was about to tell her.  "Called the Cruciamentum.  It's given to the Slayer once she…uh, well, if she reaches her eighteenth birthday.  The Slayer is disabled and then entrapped with a vampire foe whom she must defeat in order to pass the test."

Buffy was speechless.  Giles had taken her strength from her.  She stood shakily and cast a glance towards Travers who just stared back at her, not in the least intimidated by her.  With another glance at Giles, she made her way to the stairs and took them slowly.

Giles swallowed hard and sat on the couch, his hands shaking.

"She'll come around Rupert," Travers said.  It was the platitude that he told every Watcher after the Cruciamentum.  Of course, most Slayer and Watcher relationships were usually so shattered after the Cruciamentum that the Slayer died in fairly short order anyway.  Travers could only hope that the same would be true in this case.

Giles cleared his throat, wanting to see no more of the older Council member.  "The test is finished," Giles said softly.  "We're done."

Travers nodded and stood up.

"Congratulations to you as well Rupert.  The Slayer is not the only one who must perform in this situation," Travers said.  "You performed your duty admirably."

Giles nodded, feeling sick to the stomach.  

"I trust we won't be hearing from the Council for quite some time," Giles added quietly.

"Not until we hear of more demonic activity," Travers said.  "Just be sure to stay away from Los Angeles."

Giles tried not to smirk.  The pillock still thought that Joyce Summers was in LA.  Giles wasn't going to hurry to correct that assumption any time soon.

After a few more moments, Travers was out the door, leaving Giles alone in his living room while his Slayer was upstairs.  With a heavy heart, he looked towards the stairs and slowly went upwards.

(Lots of the dialogue was taken from "Helpless" and in no way do I own those pieces of speech.)

Can I just go into bitch mode for a moment here…my alternate B/S chap was visited 62 times, and no one sent me an email…what's the go with that?

Alright, out of bitch mode: *phew* I don't like doing that.  Hope you're still enjoying this fic o'mine.

Toodles.

K.


	38. Oz

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT: OZ

**Wednesday: 11pm**

**30th January 1999**

**California: California**

She had changed, wanting to be rid of the filthy clothes that were badly torn.  She had grabbed another stake and shakily climbed out the window, trying not to hurt herself even more.  She had crept away from the building, wanting nothing to do with either of the Englishmen that were sitting in the living room.

She made her way slowly down the street, unsure of where she was going, as long as it was in the opposite direction of anyone in the Council.

"Buffy!"

She heard her name being called from behind her.  She stopped and turned, her hands going to her aching ribs.  She squinted in the darkness.  She'd never realised that her vision had improved with her strength as well.

A young man her own age walked towards her, his eyes worried, but his face completely passive.  Daniel 'Oz' Osbourne.

"You alright?" he asked.

She shook her head.

"You need somewhere to stay?" he offered.

"If you don't mind," she whispered.

"Nah, it's cool.  Wills and Xander are staying at my place tonight anyway," Oz explained.  "The more the merrier."

She hesitated a moment.  If there were three of them, they would question her relentlessly.  The problem was, she had nowhere else to go.  Ethan was out doing more 'freelance work' that he always refused to explain in detail, and Faith had gone with him.  She nodded and let Oz lead her towards his house.  He was walking deliberately slow, but not making a big deal out of it, for which Buffy was infinitely grateful.

They made it to the house, heading down the stairs slowly.

"I'll get you some ice and bandages," he said, moving towards the kitchen.  Buffy nodded and walked further into the larger downstairs area.  Xander and Willow looked up, eyes going wide simultaneously as they saw Buffy standing there, shaking and injured.

"Buffy!" Willow was on her feet first, helping Buffy further into the room and leading her to a seat.  Buffy sat down and let Willow and Xander fuss around her.  

Oz came back holding a first aid kit and some ice wrapped in a towel.  Buffy took the cold cubes gratefully and wrapped them around her knuckles.  Willow expertly dressed all the other visible injuries and then helped Buffy out of her jacket.  There were tinges of red showing through the back of her shirt.

"You're back's hurt," she whispered.  "We're gonna need to get your shirt off."

Willow shot a look to Xander and Oz who took the hint and left the room.

Buffy nodded, not really comprehending what was going on.  She was shaking badly, and Willow couldn't imagine what had done this to her.  She sat behind her and helped her take the shirt off, Buffy clutching the material to her chest.

Willow's eyes went wide as she took in the damage to her back.  It wasn't the fresh scars that worried her though.  It was the intricate patterns of old scars that astonished her.

"Please don't ask," she heard Buffy whisper shakily.

She swallowed hard and forced herself to stay quiet.  She was extremely gentle while she treated the cuts on Buffy's back.  She helped her pull her shirt on again and gently pulled Buffy to her feet.

"You're tired," Willow commented.

Buffy nodded and let herself be led towards the spare bedroom.  Willow helped to remove Buffy's shoes for her and helped her to lie on the bed, covering her gently with the quilts.  When she drifted off almost immediately, Willow left the room, going back to Xander and Oz, a worried look on her face.

------------------------

"What happened to her?" Xander whispered.  "I've never seen her that hurt."

"She didn't say what was wrong," Oz admitted.  "But she looked really upset."

"God, you should see her back," Willow whispered.  "It's so horrible."

"Maybe we should call her mom," Xander suggested.

Both Oz and Willow shook their heads.  It wasn't a good idea.

"Joyce still doesn't know about the slaying.  If she saw Buffy like this, she'd…she'd be really worried," Willow explained.

"Well, what about Giles?" Xander said.

Only Oz shook his head.  "She was heading away from there.  Maybe they got in an argument."

"You're not trying to say that Giles did this to her, are you?" Willow asked.

"No.  Giles wouldn't.  She musta got badly hurt on patrol.  The only thing we can really do is take care of her," Oz said.

Willow nodded and quietly moved back into the spare room.  She didn't want Buffy to wake up in a strange house with no one near her.  She settled into a comfortable chair while Xander and Oz camped out in the larger living area on sleeping bags, none of them getting too much sleep as they worried about the blonde Slayer who had somehow wormed their way into all of their hearts.

------------------------

**Thursday: 8:30am**

**31st January 1999**

**California: Sunnydale**

Buffy awoke slowly, her entire body aching.  She stretched slowly, groaning as her muscles protested from being used.  She sighed tiredly and opened her eyes for a moment before closing them again.  

"Morning," a quiet voice whispered.

Her eyes shot wide open.  She hadn't realised that someone was with her.

"Willow," she said, not entirely comprehending why she was there with her.

"How are you feeling?" she asked.

She thought about the question for a moment.  "Bad.  Like, _really_ bad," she replied.

"What happened?"

She woke up a little more as she recalled what had happened the night before.  Giles.  Travers.  The Cruciamentum.  Oz finding her.  She shook her head slowly and closed her eyes.

"You don't have to explain it if you don't want to," Willow said quietly, seeing Buffy's reluctance to open up to her.  

She smiled thankfully and forced herself to sit up, her ribs aching badly.

"You got hurt pretty badly," Willow said.

"If it helps, the other guy looks worse," Buffy said, trying to lighten the mood.

Willow smiled a little and leant forward in her chair.

"You don't get this hurt every night, do you?" Willow asked.

She'd never seen Buffy after patrols except for the first week that Buffy had been in Sunnydale when Xander had dragged Willow out to spy on the Slayer.

"No."

"Then what happened?  What was so bad about last night?" Willow asked.

Buffy swallowed hard and looked Willow in the eyes.

"I don't have my strength," Buffy explained.

Willow's eyes went wide.  "What?  You've lost it?  Why?  How?"

"It's temporary, apparently.  Some sick test designed by the people I work for," Buffy explained.

Willow had always wondered how the whole Slayer thing worked, but she had always been too intimidated by the smaller girl to ask.  She adored the Slayer, but there was something about her that was still frightening.  Willow supposed it was because of the violent nature of Buffy and Faith's friendship that scared her a little.  On a conscious level she wasn't afraid that Buffy would physically hurt her, it was just that Buffy was so confident with who she was and what she did.

"You work for someone?" Willow asked.

Buffy nodded.  "The Council of Watchers.  A British organisation that helps to train the girls that may become Slayers.  They basically gave me some shot or something that took my strength away."

"That's horrible," Willow commented.

Buffy nodded.  "I don't wanna go back home right now," Buffy admitted.

"You can stay here," Willow said quickly.  "You don't have to go back.  We were just gonna hang here anyway, so…you can stay."

"Thank you."

"Maybe you should try and sleep some more," Willow suggested.

Buffy nodded tiredly and lay back down, her eyes closing tiredly.

"Can you tell Oz I said thanks," Buffy whispered before falling into a deep sleep.

------------------------

"Maybe we should let Faith know that she's here," Willow said quietly.  "They're best friends, Buffy wouldn't mind."

Oz nodded, grateful that there was finally a solution that there wasn't too much of a problem with.

"I'll go get her," Oz offered.  "It'll be faster that way."

Willow nodded and Oz gave her a quick kiss before grabbing the keys to his van and driving towards Faith's apartment.

  ----------------------

"B!" 

Buffy awoke to the sound of Faith calling out to her.  She woke up completely and found herself in a bone-crushing hug from her best friend.

"What happened to you?" Faith demanded.

"The Council," Buffy whispered.

Faith's eyes narrowed dangerously.  Xander, Willow and Oz were lingering in the room quietly, unsure of what was going on.  They didn't understand the connection between the two girls, but they knew that Faith and Buffy were close, despite the obvious attempts on Faith's part to be cool and unattached.

"Travers?" Faith asked coldly.

Buffy nodded.  Faith swung her fist in the air, wishing desperately to hit someone or something.

"I'll kill him," Faith said seriously.  "I'll put a fricken stake through his heart."

"Faith no.  He's gone," Buffy said.

Faith turned to look at her best friend.

"He's not gone B.  He'll never be gone!  Not when you've still got those scars on your back.  Don't you get it?  You're never gonna be free of that bastard, and he knew it from the second he started pickin' on you."

Willow's eyes widened at the mention of the scars on Buffy's back.  Obviously they weren't new, and they were something that Faith knew about.  Willow could only wonder who this Travers man was and whether or not he was responsible for the hundreds of marks that ran across the blonde girl's back.

"And killing him won't change that," Buffy said calmly.

"You're the Slayer girl," Faith reminded her.  "You coulda kicked his ass way easy!  How'd he hurt you this bad?"

"He didn't do this," Buffy said.  "It was a test."

"What kind of a sick test is it?  Sic an army of vamps on the Slayer?  Cos from the looks of your bruises, you fought about a hundred vamps last night," Faith said.

"Two actually," Buffy replied.  

"Two?"

Faith was confused.  She'd seen Buffy take on a group of ten vamps and walk away without a scratch.  To see Buffy with so many bruises from two vampires was astounding.

Buffy stood shakily and forced her hand into a fist.  Faith noticed and immediately readied herself for the hit.  Buffy hit Faith with everything that she had, and Faith barely even moved.

Faith felt her breath catch in her throat.  Buffy was still strong, but if that was her strength with no holds barred, then something was seriously wrong.

"You've lost your strength," Faith said.

Buffy nodded and sat back down on the edge of the bed.

"I'm not volunteering to get hit when she gets her strength back," Xander whispered from the corner of the room.  Faith and Buffy completely ignored the trio that were watching on in awe.

"Travers did this to you?" 

"No.  Giles did it," Buffy admitted.

Faith felt something snap within her.  She had been angry before.  Now, she was downright furious.

"Giles?!  Giles did this?!"

"Faith-"

"What the hell did he do that for?  I hope you kicked his British ass for it," Faith yelled angrily, beginning to pace the small length of the room.

"Faith-"

"He's meant to be your Watcher.  You're meant to be able to trust him!  He's worse than fricken Jeremiah Miller," Faith cried.

Buffy felt herself flinch involuntarily at the name that she had dutifully tried to repress for the last three or so years.

"Just wait til Ethan hears about this," Faith continued.  "Giles will be worm food within seconds."

Somewhere in the midst of Faith's angry diatribe, Buffy felt herself slowly letting go of her anger.  It was hearing her own thoughts said aloud by Faith that was slowly bringing her back to herself.  She had hated Giles with a passion for what he had done to her, but hearing Faith screaming about wanting to kill the man, a thought that had run through Buffy's head for a few fleeting moments…it made Buffy's anger lessen.

"Faith…I don't want him dead," Buffy finally managed to get in.  Faith stopped pacing and looked towards her friend.

"You don't?"

"He's my Watcher.  And I trust him." She was surprised that her statement held truth in it.  She still trusted him.  He had never betrayed her trust before, but hearing his deed compared to what Jeremiah had tried to do, she realised that it even though it had been worse, she still trusted him.    

"You still trust him after what he did to you?" Faith asked incredulously.

Buffy nodded and tried to collect her thoughts.  

"Do you remember me telling you about Father Pat?"

Faith nodded, wondering where Buffy was going with this.

"I told him that I'd lost my faith in the Council because of Travers and because of Miller.  And he told me that I had to see past the Council.  I had to be able to look at my Watcher and see a man, rather than just the organisation he was part of.  He told me that I had to understand that Giles was just a man who had hopes and fears.  And he made a mistake," Buffy said.

"A mistake?  Running your car into a tree is a mistake, taking away someone's strength is a plan!" Faith cried.

"So he planned it, whatever!  It was still a mistake," Buffy said.

"And you'll forgive him just like that?" 

"What other choice do I have?  He's still my Watcher, no matter what happens.  And if I can't trust him, then I'm not gonna live much longer."

That completely shut Faith up.  It was a good argument.

"So why are you here then?" Faith asked.  "Why did Oz come and get me, telling me that you were hurt and upset and you really needed someone to talk to?  If you've forgiven him, why are you here?  Why am I here?"

Buffy stood up and gave her best friend a small smile.

"Cos I only just worked out that I wasn't angry."

I don't think I ever mentioned anything about Oz.  He's not a werewolf.  Basically I couldn't be bothered writing that particular plot line in.  Maybe I'll bring it in later, but…until then, he's just a musician and a damn hot one at that.

Heya everyone!  Guess I should kinda explain a bit about the Spike thing…honestly, pretty much the ONLY reason I put him in this fic at all was cos I wanted to re-write the Cruciamentum with him as the villain.  That's all it really was.  As for the version at my site…that's my first real attempt at anything even slightly smutty.  It had nothing to do with anything at all, and even I don't' really like that she kills him, and I made her do it! *grins*  Anyways…hope you're still reading!!

Toodles.

K.


	39. Rupert

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE: RUPERT

**Thursday: 10am**

**31st January 1999**

**California: Sunnydale**

Buffy crept into the living room of the apartment, her heart racing quickly.  She was nervous, though she couldn't give an exact reason as to why.  She shut the door quietly behind her and scanned the room, thankful that Travers was nowhere in sight.

She took the stairs slowly, her body still sore, though she could fele her healing beginning to come back to her.  She could feel her strength slowly returning to her body, and she was grateful for it.

She slowly walked towards Giles' bedroom, opening the door softly.  She wasn't prepared to see Giles sitting on the small window seat, staring into the daylight.

"Giles?" she whispered.

He turned to look at her, and she was startled to see tears in his eyes.  He looked back to the window and wiped at his eyes.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, unable to look at her.

She walked further into the room and stood behind him, glancing out the window to see if he was looking at anything in particular.  All she could see was the roof of the house next door.  She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"It's okay," she whispered.

"Is it?" he asked, finally turning to her properly.  "I stuck a needle into your arm.  I poisoned you for…for _them_."

Buffy swallowed and reminded herself that she'd forgiven him.  She was still a little angry, still confused and hurt, but within herself, she knew that she needed to trust him.  She had told herself that she would trust him with everything that she had, and she would honour that decision that she had made long ago.

"I betrayed you Beth.  To a man that tried to destroy your life," Giles whispered miserably.  "How can you possibly forgive me?"

"Because I still trust you," she replied softly.

"How can you?  After what I did?"

"Because I made a promise to myself that I would trust you with everything, no matter what happened.  And I won't break that promise unless you tell me that I shouldn't trust you again," Buffy explained.

"You shouldn't," he told her sadly.  "You shouldn't have to trust someone who broke your trust."

"Will you do it again?" Buffy asked.

"No!"

"Then I trust you," she replied simply.

A tear slid down his cheek and spilled onto his shirt.

"I have never fully understood you Beth Summers," he admitted.  "And I wonder if I ever shall."

"I thought men liked that in a woman," Buffy replied with a smile.

Giles nodded and gave a small laugh, even as the tears continued to fall.

"They do luv," he replied.

"I wanna tell you that you've been like a dad to me, but…Ethan and Tim have filled that spot.  I don't know where you fit into my life, but…you're always there, and I don't want that to change.  You're my Watcher.  And I couldn't be a Slayer without you.  I wouldn't want to.  You've kept me sane and alive and I wouldn't have come this far without you," she told him.  "You were the first man I trusted besides Ethan after what happened before I was Called.  I trust you with my life, even now."

Giles swallowed hard and forced himself to stand up.  He was a good head taller than her, and he saw that she still met his eyes, not looking in the least intimidated by him.  He knew it was wrong to test what she was saying, but he clenched his fist and brought his hand up as though to strike her.  She never even flinched, only meeting his eyes.

He uncurled his hand and brought it to touch her cheek.  Finally giving into temptation, he pulled her towards him and engulfed her in a hug.

"Forgive me Buffy?" he whispered.

"I forgive you Rupert."

*sniff* Sorry…yeah, I've been watching Flooded, so…the whole cheek touching thing just gets me every time.  I'm having trouble keeping this non-shippy fic non B/G.  It's HARD!  *grins*  Not to worry, it isn't B/G.  S'all good.  Hope you're still enjoying!

Anyone interested in reading the B/G alternates.  Cos if you are, either tell me via review or email and I'll post em.  But if no one is interested, I won't bother.

Toodles.

K.


	40. Xander II

CHAPTER FORTY: XANDER (II)

(Being Aussie, I don't know the exact dates that Americas would graduate or have their senior prom.  If I'm wrong about this whole June thing, please feel free to correct me.  I'd like to be accurate here…)

Tuesday: 3pm 

**11th May 1999**

**California: Sunnydale**

Buffy stood out the front of the Sunnydale Junior School, waiting for Dawn to get out of her final class.  She stood with her back leaning against a tree, staring up into the sky at the cloud formations above her.

"What do you think?" came a voice from beside her.  "A dog trying to climb a tree, or a duck trying to hang itself?"

She looked towards the person with the familiar voice and grinned at Xander.

"Hey Xand.  What brings you to this part of Sunnydale?" she asked.

"Well, I failed a few grades, so I actually go to the junior school," he said seriously.

She looked at him with wide eyes, expecting for him to crack a smile.  He didn't.

"Are you serious?"

He just nodded sadly.  "Yup.  I got held back in kindergarten four times cos I couldn't finger paint."

She broke out into laughter but stopped when she saw that Xander looked like he wasn't kidding.

"You _are_ joking right?" she asked.

"No."

Buffy felt herself go red, feeling horrible for laughing at him.  Xander finally smiled and punched her lightly on the arm.  "Yes, I'm joking.  Geez, how dumb do you really think I am?"

She pretended to ponder that.  He poked her ribs, feeling insulted.

"You here to pick up Dawn?" he asked.

"Yup.  Mom and Tim decided to go out tonight, so they asked me to take over Dawn duty," Buffy explained.  "I even got outta work early to come pick her up."

"Sounds cool," Xander commented.  He breathed in deeply and hesitated, something that Buffy noticed.

"What?" she asked.

"It's nothing," Xander said, shaking his head.

"No, come on, what?  What is it?  The suspense will kill me," she joked.  She really did like Xander, and she knew that if she hadn't been the Slayer, she would have let herself fall for him completely.

"It's just…Friday night is Prom night," he said.  "And…I was wondering if maybe you'd like to…go with me."

"To the Prom?" she repeated nervously.

He nodded, biting his lower lip as he waited for her to answer.

"Uh…I really don't know," she admitted.

"Well, you're not laughing, so that's a good start," he quipped.  "I know that you don't want us to be together as more than friends, and that's okay.  I understand that, I do, but…I'd really like to go with you.  I'd really like to dance with you again."

Buffy swallowed hard and nodded.  He looked at her with wide and shocked eyes.

"You nodded!" he cried happily.  "Does that mean yes?  You'll go with me?"

"Yeah," she replied, a smile coming to her face.  "Yeah, I'd like to go with you."

Xander grinned and pulled her into a hug.  She hugged him back and he pulled away abruptly.

"But only as friends," he said firmly.

She grinned and they shook on it. "I wouldn't have in any other way."

------------------------

Friday: 6:30pm 

**14th May 1999**

**California: Sunnydale**

"Uh…a little help please?" Buffy called down the hallway.

Giles appeared within seconds, his eyes going wide as he took in the sight of his Slayer in a Prom dress.  It was a light pink backless dress that seemed to have a hidden zipper that had become caught in a fold of material.  Giles looked towards her and suddenly thought of something, his hand touching her back lightly.  She tensed and relaxed under him, laughing slightly.

"You're hands are freezing," she commented.

"You're scars are gone," he whispered.

She turned to look at him, a brilliant smile on her face.

"I never realised it, but…I think when I got all my powers back after that test, all the scars I ever had healed up completely.  Every single one of them," she said.

"Good lord.  That's…"

"Incredible, I know," Buffy said.  "I only noticed it when I was trying dresses on a few days ago."

Giles bent down to held her with the stuck zipper and finally pulled back when the zip was in place.

"You look amazing, Buffy," he complimented.  Ever since their hug after the Cruciamentum, he had called her Buffy instead of Beth.  She would alternate between calling him Giles and Rupert, depending on what sort of a mood she was in.  Giles when she was worried or upset, Rupert when she was happy and care-free.

"Thanks Rupert," she replied.

He smiled and held an arm out to her.

"Xander will be suitably impressed," he assured her.

"I don't want him impressed," she told him.  "We're only going as friends."

"You know I don't object to you finding a uh…boyfriend," he said.

She smiled and let go of his arm as they reached the bottom of the stairs.

"I know.  But I still do," she explained.  "It wouldn't be fair.  And a relationship needs a lot of effort to be put into it, and…the effort put there would be taking away from the slaying.  And that's a risk that I can't take."

He nodded, understanding her reasoning.  He really was quite proud of her decision to stay away from that aspect of the 'normal life' that he was allowing her to taste.

A noise from the kitchen startled her, and she turned.

"Ethan's in there," Giles whispered.  "He said he had to come and see his daughter off to the Prom.  Tradition and all that."

Buffy smiled and saw Ethan emerge from the kitchen.  He looked up and stopped short when he saw Buffy standing beside Giles.

"Dear god in heaven, someone's lost an angel," he said dramatically.

Buffy went slightly red and Ethan stepped closer to her, taking her hands in his.  

"You look wonderful," he said, kissing her forehead, not daring to touch her cheeks in case he ruined her carefully done make-up.

"Thanks Ethan," she whispered.

"You'll knock 'em dead," he said with a grin.

"I hope you mean that figuratively."

There was a knock at the door and Buffy breathed in nervously.  She'd never been to anything like this before, the closest thing to a dance had been at a bar or club where she'd tried to pick up vampires.  Ethan gave her a quick look to make sure she was ready for him to open the door.  Buffy gave him a small nod and braced herself.

The door opened, revealing a smiling Xander, holding a bouquet of flowers.  Xander nodded his greeting to Ethan and Giles.  Xander turned to look towards Buffy, feeling his heart pounding in his chest.  As much as he had said he didn't mind only being friends with her, a part of him still desperately wished that they could be together as more.  But he had accepted that she didn't want to compromise him in any way, and a large part of him respected her even more for it.

"Ready milady?" he asked, a fake British accent tinging his voice.

He held his hand out towards her and she took it gracefully.  He bent his head and kissed her knuckles.

"I saw that in a Nickelodean once, and I always wanted to do it," he quoted.  The reference was lost on the Slayer, but she smiled all the same.

He handed her the bouquet of flowers which Ethan promptly took from her, promising to put them in water.

Buffy cast another smile to Ethan and Giles and was led out the door by the tuxedo-clad Xander.

------------------------

Ethan and Giles exchanged a look as the door closed behind Buffy.  Things had been strained between them since the Cruciamentum.  Giles had been on the receiving end of a rather severe beating, and it had been Faith who had stopped the fight when she'd seen that Giles had refused to even try to defend himself against Ethan's attack.  The friendship that Giles and Ethan had made had been cracked almost beyond repair. 

"We're not meant to look at her that way, are we?" Ethan asked.

Giles cleared his throat uncomfortably.  "Uh…no.  Not really."

"She's just so bloody gorgeous," Ethan explained, trying to justify himself.  "And it's not like we're _really_ related or anything."

Giles didn't answer.  He just raised his eyebrows sceptically.

"I mean…we're still male, right?  It's only _natural_ to be attracted to…"

Giles nodded and looked towards the kitchen.  "I'll get the scotch, shall I?"

"Good idea."

------------------------

Friday: 7pm 

**14th May 1999**

**California: Sunnydale**

Xander and Buffy entered the gymnasium that had been decorated in the school colours, balloons and streamers strewn throughout the building.  Buffy breathed in nervously.  Xander noticed and squeezed her arm comfortingly.

"You'll be alright," he whispered.

She nodded and they walked further into the building.  Xander pointed towards where Willow and Oz were dancing.

Willow's eyes lit up as she saw Buffy and Xander walking towards them.

"Buffy!  You look awesome!" she cried, giving the shorter girl a hug.

"So do you," Buffy replied.  

Buffy gave a grin to Oz who just tilted his head in greeting.

"How's the Prom so far guys?" Xander asked.

"Strangely affecting.  I got all teared up when they played 'We Are Family'," Oz commented, poker-faced.  Xander grinned and pulled Buffy towards him.

"Dance?" 

She nodded and the two of them began swaying to a slow song, other couples dancing around them.

Xander was aware of the looks that they were getting, and he knew that it wasn't because of him.  The guys were all trying to sneak peeks at the gorgeous blonde girl that hardly anyone had ever seen before, while the girls were giving said blonde girl death stares that she was completely oblivious to.  Xander grinned, thankful that Buffy wasn't paying attention to the other guys staring.

"Thank you for coming with me," he whispered as they danced.

"Thank you for inviting me," she replied.  "I've never really been to a dance before.  Not including the Bronze."

"Well, the Senior Prom's a big thing here," he explained.  "It made sense to wanna share it with someone.  Who better to share with than a good friend?"

She smiled at him and felt her heart do the strange flip-flop that it had done when she had seen Angel with his hair done properly.  She really wished that she could have tried to make a relationship work, but she just couldn't put him or herself at so much risk.

She sighed and let herself fall into the comfort of his arms, letting the music sweep her away.  For one night, she felt just like she'd always wanted to feel.  Like a perfectly normal girl spending the night in the arms of her perfectly normal boyfriend.

Quotes taken from "The Prom" and one from "Titanic" as well.  Oh, and "I Will Remember".  Hehe…nearly forgot about that one…which, if you're into irony, is kinda funny.  ;)

The Giles and Ethan thing started out as a joke.  But, then it kinda made sense, cos…well, the whole Cruciamentum thing was still hanging and Ethan's reaction never really got explained, so…I think it works kinda nicely.

Another thing.  A lot of you seem to wanna read the B/G alternates.  I was really surprised by that, but I will post them.  The problem is, I'm a complete idiot and I should have started posting them about a week ago to match up with where they're meant to be.  The alternate chapters start in chap 32.  But, (and this gets all kinds of confusing) there's not too much difference between the original chapters and the alternates, just a few misc sentences about Giles being in love with her and stuff.  So, if you want to read the builup that starts in 32, go here:

http://www.angelfire.com/ks3/schoolies/btvs/itb32ethan_ii_bg.html

Or, if you just want to read the chap that is really different (ie Buffy doesn't leave the house and go find Oz, she and giles just talk), go here:

http://www.angelfire.com/ks3/schoolies/btvs/itb38rupert_bg.html 

If you don't LIKE B/G, please don't read the alternates, kay?  Ta!

Toodles.

K.

PS thanks to Dawn for your suggestion!  Makes far more sense now!


	41. Richard

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE: RICHARD

Friday: 11am 

**21st May 1999**

**California: Sunnydale**

Buffy sat in the back room of the Stanton Gallery, sorting through a new shipment that had come in an hour earlier.  Joyce poked her head into the room and smiled at her daughter.

"Willow and Xander wanted me to tell you that you _had_ to be at the Graduation ceremony," Joyce said.

Buffy grinned.  Her friends had been so excited about finally graduating that the final celebration was all that they had been able to talk about since after the Prom.  They had been trying to talk her into going, but as yet, she hadn't been convinced.  She wanted to go, but she knew that she was meant to be working.

"If you need me here, I don't mind staying," Buffy said.

Joyce shook her head.  "You should go.  Support your friends."

Buffy grinned and stood up.  "You sure you don't mind?"

"No, go.  Have a good time honey.  Make sure you cheer extra loud for me," Joyce said.

Buffy nodded and gave her mom a kiss on the cheek before beginning her walk towards the school.

------------------------

"Hey, working gal," a voice called from behind her.  Buffy turned and grinned at Faith.

"Hey Fai.  What are you doing here?"

"Followed you," Faith replied simply.  She whipped a smoke from out of the packet that lay in her jacket pocket, expertly flipping her lighter and lighting the white roll.

Buffy laughed and pointed towards the school building.  "The Gang's all graduating today.  Wanna come watch the ceremony?"

Faith's nose wrinkled and she shook her head.

"Maroon caps and gowns, really not my thing, y'know."

"Oh come on, it'll only go for two hours or something.  We should be there supporting everyone," Buffy said.

Faith rolled her eyes but Buffy knew she had won.  She snagged the cigarette from Faith's mouth and dropped it to the ground, eliciting a startled 'hey' from Faith before Buffy was hit in the arm.

"You're too nice for your own good, you do know that right?" Faith said.  "Except when it comes to me and my smokes."

Buffy grinned and the two girls linked arms.  

"I know."

"Modest too."

------------------------

Friday: 12noon 

**21st May 1999**

**California: Sunnydale**

Willow, Xander and Oz took their seats, disregarding the fact that they were meant to be in alphabetical order.  They all would have been completely split up with the last names of Rosenburg, Osbourne and Harris.  Willow squealed with excitement, startling the two boys.

"Look, there's Buffy and Faith!"

Buffy waved towards the trio who all waved back.  Faith waved as well, with far less enthusiasm.  The two girls took their seats along with the parents.

"This should be entertaining," Fiath said sarcastically.

"Don't be such a spoilsport," Buffy whispered.

Faith went to reply but Buffy shushed her as she saw a short balding man approach the podium.

"Congratulations to the class of 1999. You all proved more or less adequate," he said.

Buffy bit back a laugh.  She'd heard the horror stories about Principal Snyder and could only assume that his man was he.  Faith grinned at the man's complete lack of interest.

"This is a time of celebration, so: sit still and be quiet." He looked through the crowd and pointed to one of the students.  "Spit out that gum."

There was a rustling sound as an embarrassed student did as requested.

"Please welcome our distinguished guest speaker: Richard Wilkins the 3rd."

A smattering of applause followed and Faith rested her head on Buffy's shoulder, pretending to snore softly.  Buffy hit the girl, but didn't push her away.

"Well. What a day this is!" the Mayor said. "Special day. Today is our centennial the one hundredth anniversary of the founding of Sunnydale, and I know what that means to all you kids: not - a darn thing. Because today something much more important happens: today you all graduate from high school. Today all the pain, all the work, all the excitement is finally over. And what's a hundred years of history compared to that?"

Faith sat up suddenly and looked towards Buffy.

"Are you getting an evil vibe from this guy or what?" she whispered.

Buffy nodded, having had much the same thought as well.

"He seems…way too cheerful.  No one should be _that_ happy about anything," Buffy replied.

"You got weapons?" 

Buffy gave her one of 'those' looks and Faith smirked, realising how dumb a question it had been.  Buffy subtly pulled one of her knees into her chest and pulled out one of the two daggers she had strapped to the inside of her ankle.  She handed it to Faith who pocketed it.

"It's been a long road getting here," the Mayor continued. "For you…for Sunnydale. There has been achievement, joy, good times…and now…we're at the Journey's end. And what is a journey? Is it just…distance travelled? Time spent? No. It's what happens on the way, it's the things that happen to you. At the end of the journey you're not the same. Today is about change."

Buffy's eyes narrowed.  There was some serious subtext going on, but she couldn't figure out what it was about.  

"Graduation doesn't just mean your circumstances change, it means you do. You ascend…to a higher level. Nothing will ever be the same. Nothing."

"Ascend?" Faith repeated.  "This guy is _so_ up to something shifty."

"Ascend…why is that familiar?" Buffy asked quietly.

"Ascend…ascending…ascension," Faith mused.

Something inside Buffy's mind clicked into place.

"Ascension!  Faith!  This guy's gonna try and ascend!" Buffy whispered, beginning to panic.

Something began to pass in front of the sun and Buffy looked up, startled.  The other students too looked towards the sky.

"An eclipse.  'The beast will walk upon the earth and darkness will follow and day becomes night. The several races of man will be as one in their terror and destruction'," Buffy quoted.  "The eclipse is standard procedure for an Ascension." 

"How do you remember this crap?" Faith asked incredulously.

"You'd be amazed at the amount you learn when you're being given incentive to remember as much as you can," Buffy said.

"And so as we look back on-" the Mayor tried to continue, but he clutched his stomach as something painful ripped through him.  "On the events that brought us to this day."  
  


Buffy and Faith exchanged glances and sat forward in their seats, grateful that they had managed to get front row seats.  

"We…" he stopped again.  The students in the seats began whispering to each other in concern.  Buffy shot a look towards Willow, Xander and Oz, silently telling them with a head movement for them to leave.  Willow touched the two boys arms and the three of them left quickly, half of the students following their example.  The sun still wasn't completely covered over.

"We must all…" he stopped and yelled in pain.  He gave a small smile and tried to straighten up.  "It has begun. My destiny. It's a little sooner then I expected I had this whole section on civic pride…but I guess we'll just skip to the big finish!"

The sky went black and when Buffy and Faith turned to see what the rest of the audience thought of all this, they saw only empty seats.

"Well, that solves that problem," Faith said, swallowing nervously.

They both turned their attention back to the Mayor who had, in the time it had taken them to look at the empty seats, transformed from a human into a large pterodactyl like creature with four wings.

"The words 'oh shit' come to mind," Faith commented.

The both stood and positioned themselves so that they were able to defend each other if the creature struck out towards them.

"We need more weapons," Buffy said.

"You don't say," Faith replied.

They shared a glance and simultaneously turned and ran in the direction of Giles apartment to stock up and possibly get some reinforcement in the form of Buffy's Watcher.

They ran as fast as they could, Buffy having to grab Faith's hand to keep her at a faster pace than Faith was capable of.  After ten minutes straight with the creature on their heels, Faith was breathless and ready to give up.

"You go on ahead B.  I can't keep up," she said.

"I'm not leaving you here.  It wouldn't follow me," Buffy said, not willing to run the risk of leaving Faith behind.

"You have to," Faith implored.

Buffy shook her head and took in their surroundings as the creature flew over-head.  Buffy swallowed hard as the creature landed in front of them.  She backed up slightly and bumped into something made from metal.  She turned to look at it and grinned slightly.

"Faith, give me your lighter."

Faith looked at her dubiously.  "Now's really not the time for you to take up smoking, B."

Buffy just held out her hand expectantly.  "Just give it to me Fai."

Faith shrugged and dug the requested item from her pocket handing it to Buffy.  The Slayer looked at her friend and grinned.  

"When I tell you, I want you to run directly behind me and keep running, no matter what," Buffy instructed.

"What about you?" Faith asked.

"I'll follow.  But I need you as a decoy."

Faith had no idea what Buffy had planned but nodded anyway.  Buffy looked towards the creature who was standing there staring at them, waiting for them to make their move.  

"Go!"

Faith took off quickly, the sudden movement making the creature begin coming towards where Buffy still stood.  In a matter of seconds, Buffy had kicked the metal gas pump onto it's side, shattering the pipes and letting forth a stream of petrol.  A shot of it hit the creature in the eyes and it cried out in pain.  

Buffy waited for a few more seconds until the creature was nearly completely covered, along with the ground surrounding them.  She lit the lighter and dropped it to the ground, racing quickly away from the leak of petrol.

In a blaze of fire, the creature squawked long and loud before it was engulfed completely by the flames.  It let out one last dying howl and collapsed to the ground.

Faith looked at the Slayer, incredulity on her face.

"And they actually _tested_ to see if you were a good Slayer.  Shit girl."

Buffy could only grin and begin to walk away from the flames as a fire engine raced towards the scene.

Dunno why I really added the whole Ascension thingy…had nothing better to write, so that's why it's in there.  It's AU in case you missed it, so he didn't turn into a giant snake.  Mainly cos she couldn't really blow up a school that she didn't attend.  ;)  Quotes and stuff taken from "Graduation Parts I & II".

Thank you to the ppl who read the B/G alternates and emailed me.  As to those who read and didn't reply *pouts*  ;)

Toodles.

K.


	42. Lohesh

CHAPTER FORTY-TWO: LO-HESH  
  
  
  
Friday: 2pm  
  
21st May 1999 California: Sunnydale  
  
"You stopped an Ascension?" Giles asked incredulously. "You stopped an Ascension?"  
  
"You say that like it's a bad thing," Buffy said.  
  
Giles looked between Buffy and Faith who were seated on the couch in the apartment, neither of them with a scratch on them.  
  
"Yes, but.you actually stopped one from happening," Giles said.  
  
"Well, technically, it did happen. He just went down in a blaze of fire," Buffy said.  
  
Giles took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. The Council was going to be thoroughly impressed. Not only had Buffy and Faith defeated an ascended demon, they had done it with no research, no back-up and no weapons. It was incredible.  
  
"Good heavens."  
  
"I think we broke him," Faith whispered. Buffy grinned and looked towards her Watcher.  
  
"So.can I have the night off or what?" she asked. "I think I've fulfilled my demon killing quota for the next millennium in one day."  
  
Giles nodded dumbly and began flipping through some of his books, still in shock over what he had just heard.  
  
"Uh-oh. Research mode. We should leave before he ropes us into it," Buffy whispered.  
  
Faith nodded and the two girls stood up, trying to sneak out before Giles noticed. He asked a question just as they reached the door.  
  
"What did you say the demon looked like again?"  
  
Faith rolled her eyes and gave Buffy a grin. "You're on your own for the rest of this one B." She was out the door before Buffy could grab her.  
  
"Traitor!" Buffy called. Faith twirled and gave Buffy a grin before Buffy shut the door and sat herself back down on the couch.  
  
"Four wings. Looked like a pterodactyl. Ugly, scaly, grey, demon guy. He was big too."  
  
"Four wings you say," Giles mused, flipping through some volumes. Buffy sighed and reached for one of the books as well, knowing that there was no way to get out of helping him research when he was deep in thought like that.  
  
------------------------  
  
"Giles," Buffy said, trying to get her Watcher's attention. Giles didn't even respond.  
  
"Rupert."  
  
Nothing.  
  
Buffy sighed. She hated doing this to him. "Ripper!"  
  
Giles looked up, startled. He looked at his Slayer who had a bemused grin on her face.  
  
"What did you call me?"  
  
"Everything that you were likely to respond to. I love how you won't respond to Giles or Rupert, but I can get you with Ripper every time," Buffy mused.  
  
Giles rolled his eyes and went back to his book.  
  
"Hey, don't start reading again. I was trying to get your attention for a reason," Buffy complained.  
  
"Hmm? Oh. Sorry. What was it?"  
  
"I found our guy," Buffy said, handing over her book. "The demon Lo-Hesh. A four-winged soul-killer. Sounds nasty if you ask me."  
  
The book was in Latin and Giles slowly read through the text, writing down small pieces of information as he read.  
  
"Are you certain of its size. It says here that they're only meant to be five feet tall. That's shorter than you," Giles said.  
  
"That woulda been nice. I never get short demons," Buffy said. "And trust me, this thing was about twelve foot tall."  
  
"Hmmm."  
  
"I hate when you do that," Buffy commented.  
  
"What? Oh.I was just wondering."  
  
"You gonna share?"  
  
Giles looked down at the book again and then regarded his Slayer curiously.  
  
"Well, an Ascension isn't something to be taken lightly. It's someone transforming themselves into pure demon instead-"  
  
"Instead of the hybrids," Buffy finished. "You're saying that a hybrid Lo- Hesh is five feet tall, and the full demon is twelve? I guess that kinda makes sense when you think about it."  
  
"I'm just curious as to how we didn't see any of the signs. We never even assumed that the Mayor would do anything like this," Giles said.  
  
"It's not everyday that someone wants to turn themselves into a demon on purpose," Buffy mused. "And maybe we just never heard of it cos we were so busy with the everyday vamps and demons. You'd think the Council would have told us that something big was going on."  
  
"Yes," Giles said slowly. "One would think."  
  
Buffy completely missed the sceptical look on Giles' face. He began to wonder whether or not the Council truly wanted them in operation at all.  
  
Dunno what happened there. Very strange. My apologies. 


	43. Blue

CHAPTER FORTY-THREE: BLUE  
  
(Dreams in italics)  
  
Friday: 2am  
  
2nd July 1999 California: Sunnydale  
  
She'd been having strange dreams for about a week, and even with Giles and Ethan looking into it, no one knew what they were about. They weren't nightmares, something for which she was definitely grateful, but they were definitely bizarre.  
  
Buffy stood in the middle of a pasture, a pastel blue ankle length dress covering her. She looked around and saw a figure running through the meadow in front of her. Dozens of sheep bleated happily as the sun slowly rose and bathed them in its golden glow. Behind her was an open pen, the gate broken, presumably by the sheep. She idly wondered who was supposed to be looking after them.  
  
She stepped forward and walked to the next paddock, a field of corn. From the looks of it, the cows were grazing there, munching on the green cobs. She turned as she heard laughing coming from behind her. A figure dashed behind the barn and Buffy raced to follow. She caught a glimpse from behind and saw that it was a boy her own age.  
  
He turned suddenly and laughed heartily. Buffy couldn't help but grin at the sight of his happiness. She ran towards him, but every time he eluded her.  
  
"Stop!" she cried out. He turned again and beckoned her to follow him. He ran into the barn and Buffy followed. She sopped suddenly and looked around. He was nowhere to be seen.  
  
"Who *are* you?" she whispered, not expecting an answer.  
  
"Blue." Either she was imagining things or someone had actually answered her.  
  
"Where are you?" she called.  
  
"Sleeping."  
  
The voice came from behind her and she turned to see who owned the voice. There was no one there.  
  
"You're meant to be looking after the animals," Buffy called out.  
  
"Aren't these things meant to look after themselves?" the voice replied.  
  
Buffy turned again, trying desperately to catch a glimpse of the owner of the voice.  
  
"A higher power guiding us," Buffy mused quietly.  
  
She heard giggling and the sound of running feet. She turned in a circle and again only got glimpses as the boy ran behind the haystacks. "You have far too much energy," she whispered.  
  
The boy disappeared again and Buffy finally got fed up.  
  
"Show yourself!"  
  
"It's too soon, sunshine."  
  
"When?" she turned in circles, trying to catch a glimpse of whomever was talking to her.  
  
"Count to twelve."  
  
Buffy hesitated, still looking around her. She shrugged and complied.  
  
"One, two."  
  
She heard rustling coming from one of the haystacks. She moved towards it, but kept counting.  
  
"Three, four, five."  
  
She dug through the hay, trying to reach the centre where the rustling was coming from.  
  
"Six, seven."  
  
The rustling stopped and began coming from the haystack behind her. She sighed and turned towards it.  
  
"Eight, nine."  
  
She dug quickly, trying to catch hold of whatever was moving the straw.  
  
"Ten, eleven."  
  
"What are you looking for?" came the voice again. She didn't have a chance to switch her train of thought of, and finished her count.  
  
"Twelve."  
  
The boy materialised in front of her. "Exactly. You're looking for twelve."  
  
"Twelve what?" she asked.  
  
The boy was tall, Giles' height with blue eyes and sandy blonde hair. He had dimples when he smiled and a cheeky grin. He wore the same colours as Buffy, a pastel blue shirt and darker blue shorts. His feet were bare.  
  
"Day, years, hours."  
  
"Days? How can I look for days, years and hours?" she asked.  
  
"Search the haystack," he told her as though the answer was obvious.  
  
"Time instead of needles," she mused quietly.  
  
"You're not looking for a needle," he said. "You're looking for a key."  
  
He disappeared and from out in the meadow, a horn sounded.  
  
Buffy awoke with a start. She sighed and lay back down on her bed, trying to understand what the dream had meant. With confusion weighing heavily on her, she closed her eyes and tried to drift back to sleep.  
  
I'll explain the dream later cos I'm actually kinda proud of it. This chapter is dedicated to my mum who has no idea why I asked the stupid question that I asked tonight.her answer gave me the inspiration for the next chunk of this fic. If you work out what the hell it's based on, full points to you! If you work it out, can ya email me instead of posting it in the reviews.just so you don't give it away. ;) katters_s@hotmail.com Ta muchly! 


	44. Jayden

CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR: JAYDEN

_ _

# Friday: 11am

**2nd July 1999**

# California: Sunnydale

** **

"Are you alright?" asked the voice in front of her.

Buffy's head snapped to attention and she looked up to find her mom in the doorway of the office she was currently occupying in the gallery.

"What?Oh…yeah.Yeah, I'm alright," she said.

Joyce stepped forward and put a hand on Buffy's forehead.

"Hmmm…"

"Good hmmm or bad hmm?" Buffy asked.

"You're a little warm," Joyce said.

Buffy shrugged and took a sip of water from the battle that sat on her desk.

"Maybe I'm just getting the flu," she suggested.

"In the middle of summer?" Joyce asked.

"It's no big," Buffy assured her."I'll be fine by lunch time.Honest."

Joyce nodded and went to leave.She turned suddenly and regarded her eldest."If you want to go home, it's alright.There's not a lot to be done today."

Buffy considered it.She hadn't slept well in weeks, and she really wasn't up to a day of not doing a lot.

"Actually, yeah.That'd be good.Thanks mom."

She stood and kissed Joyce's cheek, walking out of the gallery and into the sunshine.

----------------------

# Friday: 11:58am

**2nd July 1999**

# California: Sunnydale

She'd tried sleeping at home, but it hadn't worked.Her mind refused to shut down, and she was getting hungry.After a search of the fridge and the cupboards, she had sighed, grabbed her purse and headed into the centre of town to find some real food.

She stepped into the Espresso Pump, her personal favourite store for lunch, and seated herself at a table, glancing over the menu.

"You ready to order?" asked a voice.

Buffy looked up and saw one of the waitresses that she knew quite well.

"Hey Stacey."

"Buffy, hey.Didn't realise it was you.Just your regular, hon?" 

Buffy nodded and the older woman walked away, scribbling down the order that she had previously memorised.Buffy stood up and grabbed a drink from the self-serve fridge, hesitating over regular Coke or diet before finally choosing the less sugary product.

Across town, the bell tower chimed twelve, the bells ringing a distinct pattern to announce that it was noon already.

She popped the can open and returned to her seat, sliding into the booth and downing a quarter of the drink in one gulp.She let out a quiet burp and patted her chest, trying to settle the bubbles that had ended up inside of her.

"Charming as always, I see."

Buffy looked up and grinned at the familiar face.

"What are you doing here?I thought you were gone for the week," she said.

"Well, I was, but…well, Xander's car decided to fall apart before we even made it out of the state, so…we decided to stay in SunnyD for the holidays," he explained.

"That sucks.You guys were really looking forward to that trip," Buffy said, genuinely saddened by the news.

"Well, it means we get to hang out here with you, Faith and Wills, so I think we may have got the better end of the deal," he replied with a grin.

"Flatterer."

He grinned and stole her can of Diet Coke, gulping back half of it and belching loudly.Buffy wrinkled her nose and swatted his arm from across the table."Gross."

"Yeah, but you love me anyway."

She rolled her eyes and took her can back, sighing when she realised that there was only a mouthful left.

"Can't you buy your own lunch?" she complained.

"I could," he replied easily.

She laughed a little when he made no move to even try to order.Stacey returned with Buffy's order of a burger and fries.Buffy smiled and thanked her and took a bite from the burger.With both her hands full, she couldn't stop him from stealing one of her fries.

"Hey!Get your own," she cried.

"But yours are always so much tastier than mine."

"Jerk."

"Whiner."

"Doofus."

"Blonde."

She stopped at that and stared at him with confused eyes."Uh hello?Look who's talking."

He ran a hand through his own blonde hair and grinned sheepishly.His hair was actually a darker brown, but he had taken to dyeing it blonde when he had turned thirteen.

"Oh.Yeah.Uh…ditz."

"I think we're done," she stated, taking one of the fries off her plate.

"Right.Sorry.I keep forgetting the stopping part," he said with a grin.

"I'm sure you're girlfriend _loves_ that," Buffy teased.

He narrowed his eyes."Just for that…" he took her can of Diet Coke and chugged the rest.

"Jackass." 

"I thought you said we'd stopped," he said with a smirk.

"That was before you stole the rest of my drink."

"Oh, cry me a river, Sunshine."

She smiled at the nickname and looked at her watch.

"Are you picking up the third musketeer this afternoon?" she asked.

"Yeah.Sunrise is out late though.Detention."

Buffy groaned and rolled her eyes."Why?"

"Fighting," he said with a grin.

"She still hasn't learned huh?"

"Well, between you and your Slaying, and me and my tai-kwon-do, I think it runs in the family."

"Hmmm…Sunrise, Sunshine and Sunset, all fighters.I thought we were meant to be all sunny and good," she mused.

"We are good, lil' sis."

"That right, big bro?"

Jayden grinned at the girl and stole another fry."Course it is."

Hmmm…ever wondered what woulda happened if they hadda made Dawn a boy instead of a girl?And made the sibling older?Changes the whole dynamics.I've wanted to explore this for a while, but I never got around to it.This fic gives me that opportunity to do so.

Oh, and for anyone who's interested, I've even re-written some parts of the fic to include Jayden (yes, I've got a LOT of time on my hands…)Unfortunately, I'm about to get disconnected in about five minutes, so they won't be up until tomorrow.Sorry for the delay! 


	45. Olivia

CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE: OLIVIA

Friday: 5pm 

**9th July 1999**

**California: Sunnydale**

Buffy's dreams had taken an even more bizarre twist lately.  Not only was she still dreaming about the boy requesting her to count to twelve, but she had started dreaming of a young blonde girl who sang in a sweet voice, holding a small wooden box in her hands.  The box was decorated with an intricate carved out pattern, painted in different shades of brown.

Can't even shout 

_Can't even cry_

_The gentlemen are coming by._

_Looking in windows_

_Knocking on doors_

They need to take seven 

And they might take yours.

Can't call to mom

Can't say a word

You're gonna die screaming

But you won't be heard.

Buffy had written it down and shown it to Giles and Ethan, but they were as stumped as she was.  

"Can't even shout, can't even cry, the gentlemen are coming by," Giles repeated.  He thought over the words for a moment and looked at his Slayer.

"It sounds vaguely familiar," Ethan volunteered. 

"It's creepy, I'll tell you that much," she replied.

"Are you sure it's nothing you heard when you were a child?" he asked.

She looked at him incredulously.  "Yeah, cos the Council just thrives on teaching it's Potentials nursery rhymes."

"Ah.  Good point.  Sorry."  

"So…what do you think it means?" she asked.

"Perhaps it has something to do with the other dream you've been having.  About the needle in the haystack," he suggested.

"It's not a needle," she replied absently.  "It's a key."

"Regardless…do you think they're connected?" he asked.

"Well, they've been kinda bleeding into each other lately, but…I get the feeling that they don't have anything to do with each other," she explained.

"Well…it certainly could be a prophetic dream," he said.  "Or else it could just be the eternal mystery that is your brain."

She scowled at him and picked up the book she'd been reading on dream interpretation.  She looked back at the rhyme she'd written on a piece of paper, reading over the words again.

"They need to take seven," she read quietly.  "Take seven what?"

"What?" 

"Oh…I was just wondering.  It says they need to take seven," Buffy explained, showing him the sentence she'd been musing over.  "Seven what?"

Giles took the piece of paper and scratched the back of his neck thoughtfully.

"Well, in some mythologies, seven is a significant number.  All sorts of belief systems use it, so I suppose it's not entirely unusual for anyone to need seven of a particular item."

"Yeah, but what item?" she asked.  "Are we talking fingers, children, goats?  It's kinda vague."

"They're always vague," Ethan complained.  "Couldn't you just dream about something specific luv?  None of this stuff about needles and keys and boys with no shoes."

Buffy rolled her eyes and threw a cushion at Ethan, the older man catching it before it could hit his head.

"Sure Ethan, I'll just whiz over and tell whoever plants these dreams in my brain that we need a clearer road map to interpreting them," she said sarcastically.

Giles rolled his eyes, tuning out the bickering pair.  He was used to it by now and had learned to ignore them when they went off on their own tangents.  He glanced at his watch briefly and then looked more closely.  He winced as he realised he'd completely forgotten to warn Buffy and Ethan about his house guest who was due to arrive -

There was a knock at the door.  He grimaced and wished he'd remembered to tell them.

"I got it," Buffy said, already on her feet.  Giles went to protest, but he was no match for Slayer speed.  Buffy vaulted over the top of the couch and was at the door before Giles could even say her name to stop her.  

Buffy opened the door quickly, a stake hidden in her jacket pocket in case it was anything nasty come to play.  She expected it to be Jay, Willow or Faith who generally always visited her in the afternoons.

On the other side of the door was a young woman in her early thirties, an attractive black woman with hundreds of tiny braids running through her hair.

"Hi," Buffy greeted, unsure of whom the woman was.  She'd never seen her around Sunnydale before, and the woman looked as though she too had been expecting someone else.

"You're not Giles."

She sounded British and Buffy wondered whether or not this woman was a Watcher.  Buffy turned to look inside the apartment, Giles having stood and made his way to the door, Ethan following as well.

"Olivia," Giles greeted warmly.  Olivia smiled and stepped into the apartment, kissing the British Watcher deeply.  Ethan and Buffy's eyes simultaneously went wide.  The two looked at each other, and Buffy could only mouth to Ethan 'who is she?'.  Ethan's eyes narrowed.  He knew who this woman was.

Olivia and Giles pulled apart, the Watcher breathless.  He suddenly remembered the two people in the house and went slightly red under their gazes.  He turned to face his Slayer.

"Oh, uh, forgive me. This, uh…this is, uh, Olivia. She's, uh, an old friend, she's staying here for a few days," Giles explained.

"Couldn't pass through sunny Cal without looking up ol' Ripper," Olivia explained.

Ethan stepped forward and coughed subtly. 

"And you uh…you remember Ethan of course," Giles said.

Olivia turned to Ethan and smirked.  "Ethan Rayne," she said.  "How could I ever forget you?"

He took her hand, a charming smile on his face, though Buffy could see the coldness in his eyes, their usual spark depleted completely.

"Olivia.  Always a delight."

Olivia turned to Buffy, a curious look on her face.

"And who's this young woman?" she asked.

"Buffy Summers," Buffy said, holding her hand out for the older woman.

"So you're the girl who took dear Ripper away from our fold," Olivia said, looking the girl up and down.  Buffy felt the need to put her arms over her chest, but she sucked in self-consciousness and stood to her full height.  "I hope you appreciate him giving everything up for you."

Giles and Ethan both looked affronted at Olivia's blunt statement towards Buffy.  Ethan took a menacing step forward, uncaring that he usually didn't hit women.  No one said anything like that to his 'daughter' and got away with it.

"If you call raising demons and getting people killed 'everything', then I have to say that I prefer him right here, thank you," Buffy said.  She had slipped into the slightly British accent that she had acquired, using it at full force.  It wasn't often that it happened, and usually when it did, it was due to her anger.

Ethan nearly cheered when he saw the shocked look on Olivia's face.  Olivia stepped forward, unable to believe that an eighteen year old had just spoken back to her.  Buffy just looked up at Olivia, completely unthreatened as Olivia stood only inches away from her.

"You think you're so tough, just because you're the Slayer," Olivia said quietly, the two men straining to hear what was being said.  "Just remember, I had him first, and I'll have him again.  You'll be out of the picture before you can even say the words 'death to the Slayer'." 

"Be glad that you're a friend of Giles'," Buffy said quietly.  "Or I wouldn't walk away from this."

With that, she turned and went upstairs.  Ethan glared at Olivia and turned to follow her.  Giles just swallowed nervously and wondered whether the entire weekend was about to blow up in his face.

------------------------

Saturday: 8am 

**10th July 1999**

**California: Sunnydale**

She woke up, stretching her aching muscles.  She was always sore in the mornings, though after a brisk jog through the streets of Sunnydale, she seemed to function normally for the rest of the day.  She'd had the same dream that night, the first about the boy in the field, the second about the girl with the box.  And intermingled into those two dreams had been a strange swordfight between herself and Olivia, though inevitably, Buffy always lost the fight.

The Slayer knew that in a real sword fight, she'd be able to take on the older woman, no matter what.  But the woman's words still rang in her ears.

You'll be out of the picture before you can even say the words 'death to the Slayer'.

Olivia had obviously got the wrong impression about Buffy's relationship with the Watcher, but part of Buffy also knew that Olivia was right to be jealous.  She and Giles held parts of each other that no one else had access to.  They trusted each other with their lives, and Buffy for one wouldn't have it any other way.

Buffy supposed that the only reason that the dream-Olivia won the sword fights was because Buffy was aware of her own mortality.  Slayers had an average lifespan of nineteen or twenty years, and at eighteen and a half, Buffy was already living on borrowed time.  She knew that it would only be a matter of years or perhaps even months before she finally found an opponent that she couldn't defeat.

Buffy yawned and rolled off the bed, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.  She stumbled into the bathroom, brushing her teeth and washing her face.  She made her way down to the kitchen, busying herself with the kettle to make herself and Giles a cup of tea as was ritual.  Part of her forgot that Olivia was even in the house until she heard Giles begin to rouse.

It wasn't an extra voice that reminded Buffy of Olivia's presence, it was the subtle difference in the noise of footfalls above her.  Buffy rolled her eyes and sat at the bench, her hands coming around the china cup keeping them warm, even though the air wasn't cold.

She looked towards the stairs when she recognised Giles' footsteps behind her.  She smiled, too tired to think of anything to say.  Giles gave her his usual silent greeting and reached for the cup of tea that Buffy had made for him.

'Are you busy today?' 

Giles stopped, panicked.  He hadn't heard himself say the words that he was certain his mouth had formulated.  He tried again, Buffy not even realising that he was trying to communicate with her.  Her head rested on her hands, her eyes closed tiredly.  He touched her shoulder.

'Morning Giles.' 

She too panicked.  When Olivia finally graced them with her presence, she saw the shock and worry on their faces and went to ask Giles what he was worried about.  The third look of panic preceded the telephone ringing. 

Buffy picked it up, going to say 'hello', but realising the futility of such a greeting.  She was met with silence.  She hung up and quickly pressed the code to find out the ID of the previous caller.  Ethan.

She wrote down Ethan's name on a piece of paper and handed it to Giles.  He nodded and took the pen from his Slayer.

'He's probably on his way over here now.'

Buffy nodded, now fully awake.  'I wonder if it's just us or if it's everyone', she wrote.

Giles too pondered the question.  Buffy went to the door and opened it, looking onto the street.  Across the road, one of the neighbours was on the front porch, trying to scream.  There was nothing but silence.  Buffy motioned for Giles to come and look.  He could only furrow his brow and wonder what had happened.

(Quotes from "Hush" and "The Freshman")

Hey people!  I'm back in action with a new fic to boot!  Go check out Balance Restored if you like Spuffy stuff!!  (Shameless plug I know!!)

As to the questions about the noy in the pic, it IS Beau Brady from Home and Away.  I'm Aussie and addicted to soapies!!  Isn't he a hunny?  ;)  Thank you as always to the ppl who reviewed, emailed and signed my guestbook!  You're all wonderful!

Toodles.

K.


	46. Xander III

CHAPTER FORTY-SIX: XANDER (III)

Saturday: 11am 

**10th July 1999**

**California: Sunnydale**

Ethan, Giles, Buffy and Olivia sat in the living room of Giles' apartment, the first three sifting through books, whilst Olivia sat on the couch drinking scotch.  Buffy could feel the woman's eyes on her every so often, but she studiously ignored the way that Olivia was staring at her.

Buffy sighed silently and ran a hand through her hair.  There was a knock at the door, the sudden noise of it making the entire room jump.  Buffy was on her feet first.

Jay, Faith, Xander, Willow and Oz all stood on the doorstep looking worried.  Buffy gave them small smiles and wordlessly invited them in, hugging both Jay and Faith as they passed.  Xander too stopped to see how the blonde girl was holding up.

'You okay?' he mouthed.

She gave a half-hearted nod.  He put his hand on her shoulder and tried to give her a smile.

'You?' she asked.

'Better now.'

She smiled and gave him what was supposed to be a quick hug, but Xander held onto her tightly.  She sighed and melted into it, allowing herself to be comfortable in his arms.  Again she felt Olivia's eyes on the back of her neck.

Giles and Ethan looked up at the entourage that had just entered, both of the men giving them smiles while Giles motioned them to take seats wherever they could find them.  Willow and Oz ended up sharing the one-seater couch whilst Jay, Faith, Xander and Buffy took spots on the floor.

'What's happening?' Willow mouthed.

Giles, Buffy and Ethan all shrugged and pointed to the books they'd been looking through.  Buffy grabbed the pen and paper she'd been using earlier.

'We're looking into it.  Haven't found anything yet.'

Faith and Jay grabbed books from the table, Willow, Xander and Oz following their example.  Another piece of paper on the table caught Faith's attention and she picked it up, skimming over what looked to be a nursery rhyme of some sort.  Her brow furrowed as she read the first two lines.  She handed it to Buffy, pointing at the place she'd been pondering over.  Buffy's eyes lit up, wondering whether Faith had cracked on to something important.

Buffy handed the paper to Giles after circling the first two lines.  He too looked intrigued, but didn't know what it could mean.

------------------------

Saturday: 6pm 

**10th July 1999**

**California: Sunnydale**

The sun had gone down and still no one had found anything.  Buffy stood up and looked at Giles.  'Patrol,' she mouthed.

He nodded and placed a hand on her shoulder, silently imploring her to be careful.  She smiled and nodded moving away from him towards the weapons chest.

She looked towards the other four teenagers.  'Home?'

Jay and Faith shook their heads, but Willow, Oz and Xander nodded.  She motioned for them to come with her so she could walk them home safely.  They stood and waved at the other occupants of the room, leaving them to their research.

The four friends walked through the silent town.  Buffy had been expecting it to be a smorgasbord for the vampires seeing as their victims now couldn't scream, but the vampires too seemed to be too freaked out to wander into the streets.

There was silence everywhere, and it was strangely eerie.  The town hadn't been too loud at night usually, but this enforced silence seemed to weigh far more heavily than the usual quietness of the streets. 

They arrived at Willow's house first, and the redhead went inside after they had exchanged hugs once more.  Oz too went into the redhead's house, Willow's parents away for the weekend and Oz unwilling to leave his girlfriend alone while she had no way to call for help if, for some reason, she needed any.

Xander and Buffy set out towards his home, walking in silence.  Xander sucked in deeply and decided to try his luck.  He slipped his hand into Buffy's grasp.  She looked up at him, a little startled but she left her hand in his.  Xander nearly jumped for joy but kept himself outwardly calm while inside he was having a complete panic attack.

He'd managed to calm himself down slightly by the time they had reached his house.  He reluctantly removed his hand from hers and looked at her.  He gave a small smile and mouthed a 'thank you' to her.  She nodded and went to walk away.

Xander caught her arm gently, knowing full well that he couldn't have restrained her even if he had wanted to.  Buffy stopped and turned to him.  Xander, in an incredibly bold move for him, closed the distance between them, and bent his head down to kiss her.

What surprised him even more was that she kissed him back.  Her hands snaked around his waist, one of them coming up to play with the tendrils of hair that covered the back of his neck.  By some silent agreement they both pulled back simultaneously, breathless and awestruck.

Buffy looked up at him and smiled shyly.  Xander's hand came to stroke her cheek gently and he pressed a caste kiss to her forehead.  'Be careful.'

She nodded and walked away, Xander watching her until she turned the corner onto the next street.  Xander grinned and went into the house, a smile on his face for the rest of the evening.

(Quotes and themes from "Hush".  Replace Riley with Xander and it's sorta almost the same…awww…)


	47. The Gentlemen

CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN: GENTLEMEN

Saturday: 8pm 

**10th July 1999**

**California: Sunnydale**

Buffy walked through the quiet streets of the town. She couldn't believe that there were no vampires and no demons anywhere on the streets.  It seemed very strange, especially when she was used to staking an average of two or three per evening.  

She heard footsteps pounding on the concrete and realised that someone was running towards her frantically.  She readied her stake and turned to see who or what was running in her direction.  As she turned, she was caught under the weight of someone falling on top of her.  She rolled, trying to take the brunt of the fall and ended up underneath a tall blonde girl who looked to be her age. 

Buffy helped the girl to her feet, wanting to ask what she'd been running from.  Her unasked question was answered when Buffy saw two demons floating towards them, dressed in suits, their faces deformed, smiles permanently stretched over their faces.  Buffy swallowed hard.

Behind the two floating demons were three smaller looking demons wearing what looked to be straight jackets.  They were coming towards the two girls.  The other blonde girl looked as though she wanted to run as fast as she could, but seemed unwilling to leave Buffy behind.  Buffy quickly weighed up her options.  Five versus one weren't horrible odds, but she didn't know how strong the demons would be.  And, armed as she was with only a stake and a dagger, she knew she needed better weaponry.

She grabbed the blonde girls hand and the two of them took off running, Buffy having to remember that this girl was no where near as fast as Buffy herself was.  The other girl seemed to be having problems keeping up, and the demons were directly on top of them.  One of the straight jacketed demon-minions grabbed Buffy's shoulders, and Buffy immediately flipped it in front of her, stunning it.

The other girl looked at her incredulously.  Buffy chose to ignore the looks until she had dispatched the other demons.  She quickly grabbed her silver dagger from the inside of the leg of her pants and stabbed the minion that had grabbed her.  She faced off against the other two, throwing one into a tree and managing to stab the other in the shoulder.  

The demon screamed silently, and Buffy used its pain to her advantage, yanking the dagger out of its shoulder and thrusting it into it's heart.

She looked at the two floating demons and swallowed hard.  The two demons exchanged looks, nodding silently to each other.  One of the demons attacked whilst the other opened up a small bag that looked to be filled with medical equipment. It took out a scalpel.  Buffy tried not to panic and managed to land a swift kick and the first demon's mid-section.  The demon barely registered the kick at all.

Buffy quickly realised that she was out of her element.  She grabbed the other girl's hand and the two of them began running once more.

------------------------

Buffy rushed into Giles' apartment, dragging the other girl with her.  Buffy shut and locked the door, dead-bolting it securely into place.  She looked out the window to check that they hadn't been followed.  It looked as though they hadn't been.

Giles, Ethan, Jay and Faith all looked up worriedly at the sound of the slamming door.  Olivia didn't look all that concerned.

Ethan was on his feet, his hand on Buffy's shoulder.  She gave him a small smile, telling him that she was alright.

Buffy looked towards the other girl who was looking completely terrified.  Buffy took her by the hand and led her over to the couch.  She knelt in front of the girl.

'Are you okay?' Buffy mouthed.

The girl just nodded and Buffy knew that she was probably just shocked by what she had seen.  Buffy grabbed the pen and paper off the coffee table and wrote a question on it before handing it to the girl.

'What's your name?' the paper asked.

She looked at it and with shaking hands wrote two words.

'Tara Mclay.'

Buffy nodded and write her own name on the paper.  'Buffy Summers.'

'Are you hurt?  Cuts?  Bruises?' Buffy wrote.

Tara shook her head, still not really understanding what had just happened.  She knew that demons existed, had been told that her entire life, but she'd never come face to face with one before.

Ethan stood behind Buffy, holding two glasses of water.  Buffy took them, smiling thankfully.  She handed one to Tara, silently imploring her to drink it.  Tara took the glass and lifted it to her lips, drinking without thought.  

Buffy stood and looked at Ethan who nodded and sat beside Tara, silently offering the newcomer a sense of comfort. 

Buffy turned to her Watcher.  'I think I saw the demons that were causing this,' she mouthed.

He looked at her questioningly and she grabbed a piece of paper.  She quickly made a vague sketch of what she had seen, writing underneath it that the demons had been floating when she had attacked them. 

Giles looked at the drawing and something clicked over inside his mind.  He'd seen that demon before.  And not only that, he definitely recognised the rhyme that had been in Buffy's dream.  He quickly stood and went to his desk, pulling out a book with a dull red cover.  Buffy looked over at what he was looking at and saw the embossed gold lettering on the book.  'Fairy Tales and Nursery Rhymes.'

------------------------

Sunday: 2:30am 

**11th July 1999**

**California: Sunnydale**

Giles had explained to the group using a large sheet of paper and a marker what the Gentlemen were and what they wanted.  Apparently they were fairy tale creatures who needed to collect seven hearts.  Their ultimate agenda was never disclosed, and Buffy for one didn't want to find out what evil plans they had.  The only way to kill the creatures was for someone to scream.  The problem was, she didn't know how to get her voice back.

Armed with her crossbow and several small daggers and stakes, Buffy made her way through the town.  She walked through the park and looked towards the town's clock tower.  2:30am.  She went to look away but a shadow moving inside the tower caught her eyes.  

Silently, she moved towards the tower and felt her sixth sense going haywire the closer she got.  She scaled the outside wall quickly and looked through the slats of the border up window.  There were seven of the floating demons in the tower, standing around looking as though they were congratulating each other for jobs well done.

Buffy could see seven glass jars in a semi-circle on a table.  Five of the jars were filled with hearts.  Buffy scrunched up her nose in disgust.  She quickly gathered her wits and slammed herself through the wooden boards, ducking into a roll and then bouncing to her feet, beginning the fight against the gentlemen's demon-minions.  She dispatched them all easily enough and was left to face the seven Gentlemen.

She fought furiously against them, but she couldn't seem to gain any upper hand against them.  She was flung across the room by one of them and before she could regroup, she was picked up and held in place by two of them.  They held her face-down on a large cylinder in front of the table that held the glass jars.

In the middle of the jars was a brown wooden box that looked awfully familiar.  The box was decorated with an intricate carved out pattern, painted in different shades of brown.  

The box from her dream!  That's where she had seen it before.

Buffy struggled in the strong grips of the demons behind her.  She felt something sharp penetrate her back and would have cried out in pain if her vocal chords had been working.  She struggled and managed to flip herself over on the cylinder, landing in front of the table.  She reached up her arm and flipped the table over, braking six of the glass jars and bringing the wooden box to the floor.  The seven demons raced to stop the Slayer from getting the box, but Buffy quickly grabbed her crossbow and smashed the handle against the box, smashing it to pieces.

She sat back as something forced its way back into her throat.  Without hesitating, Buffy began screaming.

Simultaneously, the Gentlemen all stopped still, hands going over their ears.  One by one, the demons heads exploded and their bodies fell to the ground.  Buffy stood up shakily and looked around her.  With a shake of her head, she headed home.  

"Too weird."

(Lotsa stuff from "Hush".  And does anyone else _really_ wanna know what the hell the Gentlemen were trying to achieve?  What did they need seven hearts for?  Ooo, and another thing, before people start correcting me about the title of the book, there is a reason why I changed it.  I'll explain later…but it's NOT a mistake on my part…creative licence.) 

As to why B/X, cos it strangely works kinda well.  But, cos I did say that this fic wasn't gonna be shippy, trust me, it's not gonna be all about them.  I've written about twelve more chaps after this, and the r/ship is barely even mentioned.  Just stick with it, pliz?  Even if you don't like B/X.  Cos, chances are, it won't last that long.  Anyways, thanks heaps for all the reviews!  You're all wonderful!  

(Go check out my latest fic 'Balance Restored' and the sequel 'Six Words'.  It's B/S and B/A…fun for everyone…ahhh, shameless plugging…who doesn't enjoy every once in a while…)

Toodles.

K.


	48. Tara

CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT: TARA

Sunday: 3am 

**11th July 1999**

**California: Sunnydale**

"Hey people!" Buffy greeted enthusiastically.

The group all greeted her vocally, except of course for Olivia who merely scowled.  Buffy ignored her once more and took a seat on the floor next to her brother.

"So…everyone seems to be nicely vocal once more," Buffy observed.

"Uh, quite," Giles replied.  "You uh…didn't have any problems then?"

"Nothing too major.  My jacket got ruined, but that's nothing new," Buffy said.  She shrugged the jacket off and looked at the small hole in the top shoulder where the demon had stabbed her with the scalpel. 

Jay moved onto his knees to look at her back.  He moved aside the material of her shirt and wiped away the dried blood.  "The cut's already healed."

"Gotta love Slayer healing," Buffy commented.  "Makes my life so much easier."

Buffy looked to where Tara was seated, still looking a little shocked.  Buffy shifted so that she was directly in front of the girl.

"You doing okay?" Buffy asked quietly.

Tara nodded.  "Still s-s-shaky, but…I'll b-be alright.  T-thank you."

"You're welcome," Buffy replied.  "Do you want to crash here for the night?  I could walk you home if you don't want to stay."

"My uh…m-my room-mate m-might be a l-little worried," Tara said.

Buffy nodded and stood up, reclaiming her jacket.  She grabbed a stake and pocketed it quickly. 

"I'll just walk Tara home.  I'll be back in about half an hour."

Jay and Faith stood up.  "We'd better get going as well," Jay explained.  "I'll walk Faith home and give you a call when I get in.  Mom's probably getting worked up over me being out.  She was royally freaked out by this whole thing."

Buffy nodded, wishing that she could just come clean to her mom about what she did at night.  

"Alright.  I'll see you guys tomorrow," Buffy said.  She glanced at the clock on the kitchen wall.  "Well…today technically.  Anyway.  G'night guys."

Jay hugged her and kissed her cheek before tugging Faith out the door.  Buffy waved to Ethan and Giles before walking out the door with Tara.

------------------------

"It's just d-down this s-street," Tara said.

Buffy nodded and the two blondes headed down the darkened road.  Tara stopped in front of a house that still had the lights on in the living room and turned towards the shorter blonde girl.

"T-thank you.  For w-what you did tonight," Tara said shyly.

Buffy smiled and placed a hand on the girls arm.  "You're welcome.  Just don't go wandering in the streets at night, okay?  It's not exactly safe out here."

"I w-won't.  Don't worry," Tara said with a small smile.

Buffy grinned and went to walk away but reconsidered.  "The Gang's going to the movies tomorrow afternoon," Buffy said.  "Did you wanna come with us?"

Tara's eyes went wide, shocked at the invitation.  "Uh…I, uh…I – I don't…I…"

"If you've got plans it's alright.  We could catch up next week, just hang out or whatever," Buffy said.

Tara swallowed hard.  She wasn't used to people being so incredibly friendly to her.  She definitely wasn't used to friendliness from people who had just saved her life.

"I…I d-don't have p-plans," Tara said.

Buffy smiled.  "Cool.  We're meeting at Jay's house.  1630 Revello Drive.  The movie starts at 12, so we're meeting there at 11:15," Buffy explained.

"J-Jay…which o-one was t-that?"

"My brother.  The tall blonde guy," Buffy explained.

"You're b-brother.  But…y-you don't l-l-live together," Tara said.  "And you're a-accents are different."

"Long story," Buffy said.  "I'll explain, I swear, but…it's late."

Tara nodded. "I'll uh…I'll see you t-tomorrow."

Buffy gave her a genuine smile and bade her goodnight.  The Slayer idly wondered whether the Scooby Gang, as Xander liked to call them, would be able to cure Tara of her innate shyness.   

------------------------

Sunday: 11:15am 

**11th July 1999**

**California: Sunnydale**

The was a light knocking on the door, barely herd over the loudness that was the Scooby Gang.  Buffy jumped to her feet as Joyce emerged from the kitchen.  Joyce opened the door to see a shy looking blonde girl on the other side.

"Tara, you made it!" Buffy said, pulling the girl inside.

Tara smiled shyly.  "Hey Buffy."

"Oh, mom this is Tara.  Tara, my mom Joyce Stanton," Buffy said.

"N-nice to meet you Mrs S-Stanton."

Joyce smiled warmly at the girl.  "It's just Joyce dear."

Tara nodded and gave a shy smile that disappeared almost as quickly as it had appeared.  

Buffy pulled Tara into the living room where the rest of the group was seated.  Everyone looked up and smiled, waving to the new comer. 

"Guys, you remember Tara," Buffy said.  "Tara, this is everyone.  Jay, Faith, Xander, Willow and Oz.  I know you guys met last night, but…if you can remember everyone's names after one meeting, you're doing far better than I ever did."

Tara went a little red under everyone's scrutiny, but she bravely stepped forward and took a seat on the couch a little awkwardly.  The room burst into noise once more.

Tara looked towards the Slayer who seemed to be sitting back and taking the noise in rather than being part of it.  Tara noticed the small glances that the girl kept giving to the brown haired boy and wondered whether there was a romance there that she should know about.  

Tara still wasn't clear about what had happened the night before, but Buffy had promised to explain everything.  Tara was content to just know that she wasn't dead and that it was because of the blonde girl next to her.

"What m-movie are we seeing?" Tara asked quietly.

"Ten Things I Hate About You," Buffy replied.  "They were debating which guy had better acting abilities, Heath or Andrew."

Buffy was slowly becoming more accustomed with the popular actors and actresses.  She still had a fair way to come with the pop-culture references, but Xander, Willow and Oz were integrating her into the more popular movies.  She found herself to be an avid Star Wards fan and was eagerly anticipating the Second and Third episodes of the six part series.

"Heath," Tara replied.

Buffy looked at her curiously.  "You think so?  Why?"

"I like h-his a-accent," Tara replied.

Buffy grinned.  She too had liked Heath Ledger's Australian accent far better than Andrew Keegan's American one.  Of course, that was only from what she's seen of the trailers for the film.

Seemingly as one, Faith, Jay, Willow, Oz and Xander stood up.  Buffy and Tara followed their example.

"We'll need to get there kinda early if we wanna get good seats," Jay explained.

Buffy nodded and the group headed towards the door.  Buffy and Jay both stopped simultaneously when they were halfway down the path.  Tara watched them curiously as they both looked at each other and asked in unison: "Where's Sunrise?"

Jay sighed and went back into the house.

"Who's Sunrise?" Tara whispered.

"Our sister," Buffy replied.  

When Jay and Dawn emerged several moments later, the group started out again.  They walked in two groups, Jay, Faith, Willow and Oz in the lead.  Tara, Buffy, Xander and Dawn stayed behind.

"Dawnie, this is my friend Tara, Tara, my sister Dawn."

Tara waved shyly and Dawn just grinned at the girl.  

Dawn pointed to the group in front and saw that both couples had separated a little and were walking holding hands.

"Isn't it gross?" Dawn asked.

Buffy and Xander exchanged shy glances, Buffy looking away first.

"I t-think it's cute," Tara said.

Dawn shrugged and shook her head. 

"You'll understand the attraction in a couple of years Sunrise," Buffy assured her younger sister. 

Xander grinned and fought to keep his laughter down.  They still had yet to talk, but he knew that when they finally got a moment to themselves, things were going to change.  And Xander for one couldn't wait.

Hey hey ppl!

Glad you're all reading and still enjoying this fic.  In answer to the question of why Willow isn't in the dorms…I wrote this assuming that they hadn't started college yet…are my dates horribly wrong?  (they probably are…)  Well…they haven't started college just yet.  This is set in the summer between their graduation and going to college.  Very AU, cos of the whole Key thing that's being introduced…

As for Tara and her deal…you'll just have to wait and see.

Toodles.

K.


	49. Deidre

CHAPTER FORTY-NINE: DEIDRE

(Just a warning, I didn't like Olivia…she's going to be evil.  In the series she had nothing to do with Eyghon, but…well, creative license and all that.  She does now.)

Sunday: 4pm 

**11th July 1999**

**California: Sunnydale**

Buffy returned from the movie, a smile on her face and a spring in her step.  Tara had seemed to grow slightly more relaxed over the several hours that the group had hung out, and it looked as though the Scoobies had just gained a new members.  Buffy had yet to explain everything to her, but the Slayer also knew that even when she finally did explain it, Tara would still be there to stay.

She closed the door behind her and made her way into the kitchen.  As she went to the fridge, she could hear voices from the people coming down the stairs.

"Why would I?" Giles seemed to be angry at something and Buffy found herself compelled to eavesdrop on her Watcher and the woman that had begun making her life hell.

"You've got no _real_ reason to stay," Olivia argued.

"No reason?" Giles repeated.  "My Slayer is reason enough Liv." 

"Is that the only reason you stay in this little town Ripp?" Olivia taunted.  "Or is there something else?"

Buffy strained to hear as Giles lowered his voice threateningly.  

"If you're suggesting what I think you're suggesting, then I'm going to ask you to leave and not come back."

Olivia scoffed and shook her head.

"You've changed Ripp.  You weren't ever one for responsibility.  Now you're loyal to a bloody eighteen year old," Olivia said.

"She may be eighteen, but she is far more important to me than you'll ever be," Giles replied.  Buffy could definitely hear the repressed anger in his voice, the desire to let loose.  "That girl is my sole reason for living, and I _will_ _not_ listen to you talking about her in that manner."

Olivia laughed coldly.  "You know, for someone who didn't even want to know anything about being a Watcher, you've definitely changed your tune.  Twenty years ago, you wouldn't have given that girl the time of day."

"Yes, twenty years ago, I probably wouldn't have.  But a lot can change in twenty years," Giles said.  "I'm not Ripper any longer."

"Aren't you?" she challenged.  "I can feel him in you.  I can hear him in you."

"Well, what can I say?  You bring out the worst in me," he taunted.

"You can't scare me away.  I know who you are.  I bet she doesn't know what you're capable of, the magicks you could unleash if you wanted to.  Aren't you even a little tempted to get that feeling again?  The power?  The invincibility?" 

"We weren't invincible," Giles hissed.  "We proved that when we got Randall killed.  Now if you've got nothing productive to add, then I suggest you go back home to London."

Olivia paused for a moment and Buffy wished she could see what was happening without letting them know that she was there.  She heard someone take several footsteps towards the door, and the door swung open loudly.

"You'll regret not co-operating Ripper," Olivia said softly.  "You'll wish that you'd come home."

"I won't ever regret turning you away.  I'm still not sure why I even agreed to let you come," Giles said.

The door slammed shut and the apartment became silent.  Giles sighed and slowly headed back upstairs, thankful that Buffy hadn't been at home to witness that particular argument.  Buffy leant against the wall of the kitchen and could only hope that Olivia was out of their lives for good.

------------------------

Sunday: 12midnight 

**11th July 1999**

**California: Sunnydale**

Olivia sat on the outside of a sacred circle, candles flickering softly around her.  She looked towards her Second and nodded, the two of them beginning a chant that hadn't been used in over twenty years.  

Deidre Page grinned as they finished reciting.  "Time to sleep," she whispered softly.

Almost immediately, Olivia fell into a deep slumber.  Seconds later, her body sat up with a jerk, her eyes flashing bright yellow.

"Eyghon," Deidre whispered reverently.

Eyghon smiled viciously and took hold of the woman's neck, snapping it with incredible force.  Deidre dropped to the ground, and Eyghon jumped from Olivia to the now deceased Deidre Page.  With a feral grin, Eyghon took off, jumping through the window of the rented hotel room.  Olivia hadn't been planning on it to jump.  

The rituals mustn't have worked as she'd planned it to.  Something had gone wrong.  Which now meant that Eyghon would begin to track down the members of the original circle and kill them off one-by-one, according to what order people had joined the circle.  Ethan and Ripper had started it, followed by Thomas, Randall, Olivia and Phillip.

Olivia swallowed hard.  Eyghon would go after Phillip and Thomas first before returning to Sunnydale to finish off Ethan and Ripper.  Olivia needed a plan desperately, and she needed one fast.  After Phillip, she would be next.  Unless of course, she found someone to initiate before Eyghon even went after Phillip.  

Olivia quickly grabbed a small potion and small black bag from her cupboard and ran out the door, a new plan already formulating in her mind.  She would have Ripper and kill his Slayer in the process.

------------------------

Sunday: 12midnight 

**11th July 1999**

**California: Sunnydale**

Giles awoke with a start.  He'd only just managed to drift off to sleep, but he'd been awoken by a nightmare that wasn't one of the his usual ones.  Usually, his dreams were plagued with visions of Buffy being killed by a vampire or some other demon.  This dream whoever, had had nothing to do with his Slayer.

He'd seen visions of his younger self, sitting in a circle with six others, invoking the spirit of a demon to come and possess them.  His own voice, cold and evil had woken him.  _'Time to sleep.'_

He hadn't dreamt of his Eyghon days in years.  When the phone rang, he knew that this hadn't just been random.  He picked up the phone, knowing who would be on the other end.

"Ethan?" 

"You had the dream as well," Ethan's voice said.  He sounded a little shaky.  Giles was just glad that he wasn't the only one who was ruffled by the nightmare.

"Yes."

"You don't think…" Ethan trailed off.

"Think what?"

"Well…you and Olivia didn't part on the best of terms," Ethan said.  "She wouldn't have…awoken Eyghon, would she?"

Giles considered the question very seriously.  He had no other explanation for the sudden occurrence of the dream. 

"She couldn't have done it alone," Giles said.  "She'd have needed at least one other person from the original circle."

"Well…we know it wasn't one of us," Ethan said.  "That narrows it down to four.  Randall's dead, so that's three.  Phillip's got a wife and two kids, so he wouldn't be stupid enough to raise the demon again.  Which leaves Thomas and Deidre."

"Thomas hated Olivia," Giles said.  "He wouldn't have agreed to it on the principal of it being Liv that suggested it."

"Which leaves dear old Deidre.  Those two always were thick as thieves," Ethan said.

"Why would Olivia call Eyghon though?" Giles asked.  "She was just as panicked as the rest of us when it took Randall.  She knows the dangers."

Ethan went silent for a moment.  A horrible though struck him and he hesitated before sharing it with Giles.

"Perhaps it was the only solution she could think of," Ethan said quietly.

"Solution?"

"What better way to kill a Slayer then to call summon a demon?"

(*Insert dramatic music here*  Olivia is evil…I don't like her…)

Also, Stars Wars Episode One…I had assumed it had come out.  I remember seeing it when I was in Year Ten, which was in 1999…I can't for the life of me remember when I saw it, except that it was early in the year, maybe around March (and this is based on the memories of me seeing it with a boy I had a massive crush on and it was before we were dating…sad how I can associate time with my boyfriends…)  I'll look into when it was released… ;)  THANKS to everyone for your reviews, emails and always wonderful feedback!

Toodles.

K.


	50. Eyghon

CHAPTER: FIFTY: EYGHON

Monday: 12:15am 

**12th July 1999**

**California: Sunnydale**

After a small location spell, Olivia found the Slayer fighting a group of three vampires in the Sunnyrest Memorial cemetery.  Olivia watched, hoping that the Slayer would be taken out by the vampires instead of Olivia having to do the work, but as luck would have it, Buffy defeated the evil trio.

Buffy spun quickly, having sensed another presence that was making her senses go off.  She saw Olivia and narrowed her eyes.

"Come to kill me?" Buffy asked.

Olivia smiled.  "Something like that."

Olivia threw a handful of dust at the Slayer who sneezed and fell to the ground, deeply asleep.  With another spell that made Buffy's slight weight even less, Olivia carried the Slayer to an abandoned factory and tied her tightly to a table.

She opened her bag up and took out several items.  The first was a pot of black ink.  Next were some tools, needles that Olivia would need to mark the Slayer with Mark of Eyghon.  She opened the pot and set it aside the table, about to begin when the Slayer stirred, startling Olivia.  The spell was supposed to hold for an hour.  It had barely lasted twenty minutes.

Buffy struggled against the bonds that held her securely in place.  She turned her head and glared at Olivia.

"Do you _really_ think that this is going to win Giles back?" Buffy asked.  "Cos honestly, as romantic gestures go, this one really sucks."

"I'm sure you know _all_ about seducing Ripper," Olivia said testily. 

Buffy rolled her eyes and tensed as she saw Olivia dip one of the needles into the ink.  She'd had a strange phobia about needles ever since Giles had shown her the needle he had used to take her strength from her on her eighteenth birthday.  

"I don't know where you get this idea about Giles and me," Buffy said, her voice wavering nervously.  She was still groggy from whatever sleeping spell Olivia had placed her under, and she was in a vulnerable position, something she never liked.  "We're friends.  That's it."

Olivia rolled her eyes. 

"You've got no idea, do you?  You've got no idea about who he really is," Olivia said.

"I know enough.  And I know that he's not the Ripper that you knew.  He's so much better than that.  He always was," Buffy said.  "And just because you can't get over it, you shouldn't be trying to drag him down with you."

Olivia didn't reply.  She merely poked Buffy with the first of what was to be thousands of pinpricks.  Buffy flinched and bit her lip to keep from crying out.

"What the hell are you doing?" Buffy asked angrily.

"What, this?" Olivia asked innocently.  "This is your initiation."

"You know what? I'm really not interested in joining your club," Buffy replied.

"Too late. I already voted you in.  If you think of it karmically, this is really big for your soul," she said.  "Taking my place with the demon, giving so that others may live."

"I'm gonna kill you. Will that blow the whole karma thing?" Buffy asked angrily.

Olivia shrugged and continued tattooing the mark of Eyghon in the middle of the small of Buffy's back.  Buffy blinked back tears at the pain and silently prayed to the higher powers that she would come out of this alive.

------------------------

Monday: 12:30am 

**12th July 1999**

**California: Sunnydale**

A small dot hovered in one spot on the map of Sunnydale.  Ethan and Giles stood up, simultaneously grabbing weapons.

"You know the way?" Ethan asked.

Giles just nodded silently and the two men headed out the door.  Both of them could only hope that they weren't already too late.

------------------------

Monday: 12:30am 

**12th July 1999**

**California: Sunnydale**

Olivia stepped back and admired her own handiwork.  "I think I missed my calling as an artist," she commented.

Buffy scowled and tried to ignore the pain radiating from her lower back.

"You're definitely missing something."

Olivia smirked and stood up, pulling the Slayer's shirt down to cover her lower back.

"Well…I hate to mutilate and run, but…that mark's like a homing beacon.  Eyghon will realise that we've got a new member, and, he'll come to destroy you.  With any luck, it'll jump to your body," Olivia said.  "Ripper's probably on his way, but…he'll be too late.  He'll probably be forced to kill you."

Buffy watched in dismay as Olivia turned tail and ran.

She once again began struggling with the ropes.  She'd tried freeing herself whilst Olivia had been tattooing her, but when Olivia had slipped several times and made the pain worse, Buffy had reluctantly lain still.  Her wrists were aching and she could feel blood running down her hands from where the skin had been broken.

Her hands were cuffed under the table, the metal of the cuffs strong, but Buffy knew that with a few more minutes, she would have them snapped in two.  Well, that as the theory of it at least.

------------------------

Monday: 12:34am 

**12th July 1999**

**California: Sunnydale**

Eyghon stopped in it's tracks and scented the air.  It could smell new blood.  It grinned evilly and turned around, heading back towards Sunnydale.

------------------------

Monday: 12:35am 

**12th July 1999**

**California: Sunnydale**

Ethan and Giles stormed into the abandoned factory, both men glaring when they saw Buffy on the table with Olivia nowhere to be seen.  Giles and Ethan raced to her side Ethan putting a hand on Buffy's lower back in what was meant to be a comforting gesture.  Buffy yelped in pain and Ethan immediately pulled away.

Giles pulled away from Buffy's bleeding wrists thinking that it was he who had hurt his Slayer by trying to pick the lock to the cuffs.

Tears pricked Buffy's eyes and Ethan knelt so that he was eye to eye with her.

"What hurts, luv?" he asked quietly.

"My back," she replied, gritting her teeth to steel herself against the pain of her back and her wrists.  "God, it hurts so much."

Ethan stood and pulled her shirt up, paling as he saw the familiar tattoo.  He swore softly and Giles went to stand, banging his head on the underside of the table as he did.  

"What?" Giles asked, finally straightening.  He too went white when he saw the tattoo.  "I'll kill her."

Ethan put an hand on Giles' arm and shook his head.  "Let's just get her the hell outta here before we try tracking down the evil one."

Giles nodded and knelt again, picking the lock and gently removing the metal cuffs.  Ethan helped Buffy to sit up, and Giles quickly shrugged out of his button down shirt, leaving his undershirt on.  He tore several strips from the blue material and wrapped Buffy's wrists as well as he could.

"You alright to stand?" Ethan asked.

Buffy nodded shakily and held onto both Ethan and her Watcher as she stood up.

"Home?" she asked.

Giles nodded and the trio began making their way out of the factory.  The stopped short when a figure jumped in front of them.  

"Deidre?" Ethan and Giles asked in unison.

Buffy swallowed hard.  She recognised that name.  And seeing that Deidre suddenly had glowing green eyes, Buffy could only assume that Eyghon had jumped into the woman's body.

"I've been waiting a long time for this." It's voice was deep, deeper than anything Buffy had ever heard.  She prepared herself for a fight, mentally calculating what weapons the two men had brought with them.  Giles slipped his Slayer a short sword and a small matching dagger.

Eyghon stepped forward and scented the air, knowing that three members of the Order were within striking distance.  It could scent that there was a new one among them.  She turned abruptly towards the Slayer.

"You!"

Buffy tensed and held up her sword.  Eyghon lunged forward and tackled the Slayer to the ground, Buffy landing hard on her back and crying out in pain.  She pushed past it and kicked the demon off her.  Giles and Ethan moved to attack but were simultaneously flung into a wall.

"You're time will come," Eyghon said, turning away from them to concentrate on Buffy.

Buffy staggered to her feet and began a weak attack against the demon.  She landed a good kick to the demon's stomach and sent the demon stumbling back.  With renewed force, Buffy began attacking Eyghon, hitting, kicking and punching it into a corner.

Buffy went to deliver the final killing blow.

"You cannot kill me!" it cried with indignation.  "It is against written rules."

"Well, what can I say?" Buffy asked.  She swung her sword and cut swiftly across the demon's neck, sending Eyghon's head rolling.  The body dropped and disintegrated into a pile of blue goo.  "I flunked the written."

Quotes taken from: "The Dark Age" and "Prophecy Girl".

Ooo, so I wasn't wrong about Star Wars…yay me!

And to Mountain William: the BTVS/HP crossover…I'm in the middle of writing two of them! *grins* Anyways, I'm off.  Hope you enjoyed the updates!!  
Toodles.

K.


	51. Buffy II

CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE: BUFFY (II)

Thursday: 10am 

**15th July 1999**

**California: Sunnydale**

"Doesn't that hurt?" Jay asked idly.

Buffy looked up tiredly.  "Hmm?"

He pointed to the tattoo on her lower back.  "The tat.  Doesn't it hurt?"

She shrugged.   "Not anymore.  Ethan and Giles wanted me to get it removed, but…I dunno.  I kinda like it."

"It does look wicked cool," Faith added.

The group was sprawled across blankets and towels on the beach, soaking up the sun.  Oz, Xander, Dawn and Willow were rough-housing in the water whilst Buffy, Jay, Faith and Tara were sun-bathing.

"W-what does th-the symbol mean?" Tara asked shyly.

"It's called the Mark of Eyghon," Buffy explained.  "It's worn by the people in the Order of Ehygon.  Basically they're a bunch of demon worshippers who invoke the demon Eyghon to uh…"

She stopped suddenly and blushed.  Faith grinned, instinctively knowing what Buffy has been about to say.

"To what?" Jay asked, interested.

"Well…they'd induce possession for uh…well, for orgies basically," Buffy said.

Jay looked at his sister in shock.

"And you want to _keep_ the tattoo?"

She rolled her eyes.  "I'm not about to induce possession, Jayden Andrew Summers-Stanton."

"Why not Beth Anne Summers?" Jay replied snarkily.

Tara looked between the two.  If she hadn't known that they were related, she would have thought they were flirting.  The casual banter and the extreme comfortableness was very obvious.

"You uh…still haven't ex-explained about the t-two of you," Tara said.

"Oh.  Right.  Well, long story short, we're twins, but we were separated when we were little.  I was raised in England, and Jay stayed here in California," Buffy said.  "Hence the accent difference.  And as for the surnames, Jay took Tim's surname when Tim and Mom got married.  I'm still happily a Summers."

Tara nodded.  The explanation was fairly vague, but good enough for now.

"I've still got Summers in there, Buffy," Jay said defensively.  "It's just hyphenated with Stanton.  And not to blow my own horn, but my name's better than yours."

Buffy just rolled her eyes and grabbed Jay's can of drink, her twin protesting loudly when she took a sip.  He reclaimed the can and turned to look at Faith.

"You wanna swim yet?" Jay whined.  

Faith rolled her eyes.  "You have far too much energy," she complained.  She let him pull her up though and they ran down the beach towards the other four, leaving Tara and Buffy to lie in the sun.

"So, what about you?" Buffy asked.  "Did you grow up in Sunnydale?"

Tara shook her head.  "N-no.  I j-just moved here.  So I could s-settle in before college."

"Oo, college.  Scary stuff," Buffy said with a grin.  "UC Sunnydale?"

Tara nodded.  "You're n-not going to college?"

"Nup.  I didn't go to high school, and…well, I have other…commitments."

"Like w-what I s-saw the other n-night?"

Buffy nodded.  "Pretty much.  That's why I was taken to England.  So I could be trained to do what I do."

"Why you?"

Buffy looked at her new friend and saw the actual interest in the girl's eyes.

"I'm a Slayer.  A Vampire Slayer if you wanna be technical," she explained.

"V-vampires?"

Buffy nodded.  She couldn't remember a time when she didn't believe in the creatures that roamed the earth looking to destroy it.  She'd been brought up knowing about vampires and demons, and had learnt the effective ways to kill certain demons.  The knowledge had certainly come in handy on the hellmouth.

"Yup.  Vampires, demons, zombies, werewolves, incubi, succubi, everything you've ever dreaded was under your bed, but told yourself couldn't be by the light of day. They're all real," Buffy said.  She could remember those details being drilled into her.

"A-and Slayers.  W-what are they?"

"Into each generation a Slayer is born. One girl in all the world, the Chosen One, one born with the strength and skill to hunt the vampires, to stop the spread of their evil ranks of darkness and terror," Buffy recited.  "A warrior for the Powers that Be."

"Wow," Tara said quietly.

Buffy nodded slowly and turned over onto her stomach, being careful not to lay too much weight on the middle of her back.  

"Is it…scary?" Tara asked.

"Sometimes," Buffy replied.

"And y-you're mom.  What d-does she think?"

"Mom doesn't actually know," Buffy said.  "Jay does.  And so do Dawn and Tim, but…we've kinda kept it from mom for the last year and a half.  We've had a couple of close calls, but…I don't want her to know."

"Why not?"

"She'd feel guilty," Buffy said simply.  "She'd think it was her fault even though it wasn't.  It's no one's fault.  It was going to happen."

"And y-you've been the Slayer for a year?"

"Closer to three actually," Buffy replied.  "I came to Sunnydale at the end of…'97.  It took a while to work out that we were related, but…it's been nice.  Getting to know everyone again.  It's been great."

She went to say more, but cast a glance towards the rest of the group.  They seemed to be all hovering in one spot, several of them on their hands and knees looking in the sand for something.  Buffy pointed down the beach and both the Slayer and Tara stood up.

"What's up guys?" Buffy asked.

Jay looked up at his sister, putting his hand up to shield his eyes from the sun.

"Willow lost her keys," Jay said.  

"Good luck to us finding it," Xander said.  "It's like looking for a needle in a haystack."

"You're not looking for a needle," Jay replied.  "You're looking for a key."

Buffy's eyes went wide.

------------------------

Thursday: 5pm 

**15th July 1999**

**California: Sunnydale**

Buffy walked into the apartment, rubbing her eyes tiredly.  The day on the beach had taken a lot out of her, and all she really wanted to do was sleep until she couldn't sleep anymore.

"Buffy," Giles greeted from the kitchen.  "How was the beach?"

"Good," she replied.  "I think I mighta got a little burnt though."

"I told you to wear sunscreen," he chided gently.

"Yeah, yeah, precaution guy.  It's alright.  I didn't get the tattoo burnt, so no major dramas.  Plus, Slayer healing."

Giles stiffened at the mention of the tattoo, but didn't say anything more about her burns.

"I think I may have found something about your dream," Giles said.

Buffy looked up with interest.  "Yeah?  Cos I think I may have something as well."

"Really?"

"It was…really weird," Buffy said vaguely.

"What was?"

"Well…we were on the beach.  And Willow lost her keys, and the Gang was looking for them.  And Xander commented that it was like looking for a needle in a haystack.  And Jay stopped and told Xander that he wasn't looking for a needle, he was looking for a key," Buffy explained.

"And that's what the boy in your dream keeps saying," Giles said.

Buffy nodded.

"I know it sounds strange, but…I think Jay is the guy that I keep dreaming about," Buffy said.  "Lately the boy's looked a lot like him.  But I never really realised it until he said that thing about the key today."

Giles sat down thoughtfully.

"Why wouldn't you have recognised him earlier, I wonder."

Buffy shrugged and sat herself beside him, shifting her weight to not aggravate her slightly burnt legs.

"What did you find?" Buffy asked.

"Oh.  Uh…possibly what your dream is based upon," Giles said.  He handed her a book which she took doubtfully.

"Fairy Tales and Nursery Rhymes?  Didn't we already cover this with the whole Gentlemen thing?" she asked.

"Just read it," he said. 

Buffy opened the book to a book-marked page and read it aloud.

_"Little boy Blue come blow your horn_

_The sheep are in the meadow, the cows are in the corn_

_Where's the boy who looks after the sheep_

_He's under the haystack fast asleep."_

She looked up at him, surprise in her eyes.  "That's exactly it.  This is my dream.  With the sheep and the cows and the rustling from under the haystacks.  And he said his name was Blue."

Giles nodded.  "I was reading through it this afternoon and this particular rhyme caught my attention."

Buffy read over it again.  At least now she had a point of reference.  It was more than she'd had the day before.

"There's still the whole key thing.  And the number twelve thing as well," Buffy said.

"Days, hours and years were the three time periods that he specified, yes?" 

Buffy nodded. 

"Anything significant about those three time frames?" he asked.

Buffy shook her head, unable to think of anything.  

"Well…I suppose in time more will be revealed.  These things usually take care of themselves," he said.

"A higher power guiding us," Buffy mused quietly.  

"Hmmm?"

"That was in my dream," Buffy said.

"What was?"

"What you just said.  About things taking care of themselves," she explained.

Giles looked vaguely disturbed.  If Buffy's dreams were beginning to play out in real life, it could only mean one thing.  Something was coming.  Something big.  

Hey ppl,

My apologies for not updating this sooner.  Just got back online, which is always a good thing.  To JC, even though you won't read up to here, BLAH TO YOU TO!!  *grins* 

Thanks to everyone for your feedback!  Always always always good to hear from ppl!

Toodles.

K.  



	52. Joyce II

CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO: JOYCE (III)

Saturday: 7pm 

**17th July 1999**

**California: Sunnydale**

"Can you pass the salt Dawnie?" Buffy asked.

Dawn did as requested, Jay rolling his eyes as his little sister seemed so compliant.

"You'd never pass the salt to me if I asked," Jay grumbled.  "No fair playing favourites."

Dawn stuck her tongue out at him.  "You never ask _nicely_," Dawn replied.

"Oh yeah.  Good point."

Joyce smiled and felt her heart twinge a little.  She loved that feeling of absolute contentment that came from watching her three children together.  Even when they were bickering, it was good to see all three of them together.

"Are you staying the weekend?" Dawn asked, turning her attention to her sister.

Buffy looked towards Joyce.  "Can I, mom?"

Giles had been fairly relaxed for the holidays, allowing Buffy to spend the night with either her family or with any of her friends.  (Except for Xander of course…Giles may have been older, but he wasn't oblivious to what was happening between the two teenagers.)

"You know you're always welcome here, honey," Joyce replied.

Buffy grinned.  "Looks like you're stuck with me for the night."

Dawn grinned and squealed with excitement. 

"Awww, does she hafta?" Jay teased.

"This coming from the boy who started dying his hair because of his sister," Tim added.

Buffy looked at Jay who went slightly red under her gaze. 

"Is that true?" she asked quietly.

Jay nodded and grinned sheepishly.  Buffy grinned and surreptitiously wiped tears from her eyes.  He'd never told her that before.  

Dinner was finished quickly and chairs scraped the floor as the family rushed to get up to avoid clean-up duty.  

"It's your night Dawn," Tim prodded gently.

"Daddy…please?  Buffy's staying.  Can't Jay do it?" Dawn pleaded.

Jay looked at his youngest sister with indignation written across his face.

"Uh, hello?  I might wanna talk to her as well," Jay said.  

Buffy rolled her eyes.  "Look, we'll make it simple and the _three_ of us can do the dishes.  Then we can just hang out or whatever."

"Little Miss Sunshine strikes again," Jay muttered.  Buffy turned to glare at him, unable to keep the grin off her face despite the narrowed eyes.

------------------------

Saturday: 10pm 

**17th July 1999**

**California: Sunnydale**

Dawn had gone to bed and Buffy and Jay were sitting in the living room wrapped under a blanket talking quietly.

"Have you and Xan talked yet?" Jay asked.

Buffy smiled, unable to stop the fuzzy feelings that began when her semi-boyfriend was mentioned. 

"Not yet.  This week's been kinda jam packed with Scooby outings, so we haven't really had a chance to be alone," Buffy explained.

Jay groaned.  "You guys are worse than Faith and I were."

Buffy laughed a little.  "We're no where _near_ as bad as you guys were," Buffy said.  "You two were terrible.  And at least I have a valid excuse for not wanting to date."

Joyce walked into the room, halting the conversation.

"Are you two still up?" she asked rhetorically.  "Aren't you tired at all?"

Buffy and Jay shook their heads simultaneously.  Buffy turned to look at her twin pointedly.  

"I was thinking that I might actually go for a _walk_," Buffy said.

Jay caught on immediately.

"Yeah, a walk," Jay said, trying to sound excited at the prospect.  "Sounds like an idea."

Joyce could tell that there was something going on, but didn't question it.  She'd been informed by Dawn that Buffy and Xander were about to begin an attempt at a relationship, and Joyce figured that this attempt at casual was to do with Buffy wanting to see Xander.

Buffy and Jay stood before Joyce could tell them that she didn't want them going out.  She couldn't really stop them now that they were eighteen.  

"Just be careful," Joyce implored.  "Jay, look after her."

Jay smirked and Buffy bit back a grin.  

"Sure mom," Jay replied.

Buffy kissed her mom's cheek and grabbed her coat, feeling the pockets to make sure she had weapons.  Three stakes and several bottles of holy water.  She could also feel the stake that was tucked in the back of her jeans in the small of her back.  Joyce opened the door for them and watched them walk down the path.

"Oh, Jay," Joyce called, stepping onto the balcony.

Both Jay and Buffy stopped, turning to look at their mom.  Before Joyce could say anything more, something rushed onto the porch and pushed Joyce aside, heading instantly towards the Slayer.  Buffy was alert immediately, grabbing the stake from the back of her jeans and ducking one of the vampire's punches.

Jay moved aside, going to stand with his mom in case he needed to protect her.  He too grabbed a stake from his pocket.  Joyce watched in amazement as her daughter executed perfect punches, kicks and rolls against the unknown attacker.

Buffy took a backhand to the right side of her face, stumbling a little as she was hit.  She regrouped and tossed the vampire against the tree in the front yard.  The vamp stopped, stunned and Buffy plunged her stake into his chest.  The vampire crumbled to dust and Buffy turned slowly, her breathing hard.

She swallowed nervously and Jay tried to convey sympathy to her through a small smile.

"Buffy…what…is going on?" Joyce managed to get out.

Buffy stepped forward nervously and replaced the stake in the waste-band of her jeans.

"Mom…" 

Jay nodded at his sister when she faltered. 

"I'm a Vampire Slayer."

------------------------

Saturday: 11:30pm 

**17th July 1999**

**California: Sunnydale**

"And that's why you were in England," Joyce repeated.  "To train to be a…"

"Slayer," Buffy finished.  She nodded.

"And that's why you still live with Mr Giles?" 

Buffy nodded again.  "Pretty much."

Joyce swallowed hard and took a sip of her water.  She couldn't believe what she was being told.  But, after seeing the man explode to dust when her daughter had stuck a stake in him, she had no choice except to believe it.

"H-have you tried _not_ being a Slayer?" Joyce asked.

Buffy sighed.  They'd been down this path several times already.

"It's just fate, Mom," Buffy said patiently.  "It's who I am."

"Well I just don't accept that!" Joyce said angrily.

Buffy flinched.  She shut her eyes and counted to five, trying to calm herself down.  She didn't want to get into a screaming match with her mom.  She didn't want to lose her family.  And she knew that that was definitely something that could happen if she wasn't careful.

"Mom, I know you wish I could be different," Buffy said quietly.  "I wish I could be that for you, but…I can't.  But there is something I do that I can do better than anybody else in the world."

"Slay vampires," Joyce said.

Buffy nodded.  

"And everyone knows about you?" Joyce asked.  "Jay, Tim?  Dawn?"

Buffy nodded.  "Tim found out when he worked out who I was.  Jay followed me one night.  Dawn found out in pretty much the same way you did."

"And you're friends?  They all know?  Faith, Willow?"

"Faith was in training to be a Slayer as well.  But…she won't be one," Buffy said.  "And Willow and Xander were with Jay when he followed me."

"Actually, Willow and I were with Xander when _he_ followed you," Jay corrected. 

"Buffy, this is insane," Joyce said, standing up and beginning to pace the room.

"Mom-"

"No…I…I can't believe this," Joyce said, completely ignoring her daughter.

"Mom-"

"There's no way that this is possible."

"Mom," Jay and Buffy said at the same time.  Joyce finally stopped and looked at them.

"Mom…what did you think happened to her?" Jay asked.  "Didn't you ever wonder what she was doing in England?  Why she went to Russia and Romania and Ireland?  Didn't you wonder why she went to LA so soon after we finally got her back?  Mom, Buffy was born to do this.  It sucks and I hate that she does it, but…it's the right thing to do.  It's what she has to do.  She protects people, helps people."

Joyce got a little paler and sat down again.

"Oh god."

Jay looked at his sister and smiled.  "I think we just got through."

"You," Joyce said, looking at her daughter.  Buffy felt a note of panic rise in her chest.  

"Me?"

"You're the girl that people keep talking about," Joyce said.  "The little blonde angel that saves everyone."

Buffy and Jay exchanged extremely confused looks.

"Uh…mom," Jay said.  "What are you talking about?"

"One of my friends was in the hospital last week," Joyce said.

"Mr Sanderson," Buffy and Jay said in unison.  Joyce nodded. 

"He told me he'd been saved by a golden angel that fought like a warrior.  That's you," Joyce said.

"Uh…I guess so."

"Cool," Jay said.  "Wha'dya know?  People think you're an angel.  Wait until they find out the truth."

Buffy poked his ribs with enough force to make him squirm, but not enough to make him bruise.  He poked back and a small fighting match ensued.  They split apart when they realised that Joyce was staring at them in confusion.

"Uh…when do you get to…you know, retire?" Joyce asked.

Buffy swallowed hard, all traces of her earlier smiles completely gone.

"I don't," she replied quietly.

Joyce paled and saw the serious expressions on both of her children.

"You don't?"

Buffy shook her head, wishing that she had better news to tell her mom, not only for her mom's sake, but for her own as well.

"It doesn't stop," Buffy said gently.  "It never stops.  Not until I stop."

"And you won't stop…"

"No."

Silence descended upon the room and Joyce and Jay could only fight back tears.  Buffy breathed in deeply in stood up.

"Maybe I should go," she said quietly.

Joyce stood and caught Buffy's arm.  "No.  Stay.  I…we want you to stay."

Buffy looked at her mom for any sign of mistrust, but saw only concern and love written in Joyce's eyes.  She nodded and sat back down, suddenly feeling as though a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.  Everyone she loved knew who she was and still wanted her in their lives.  Life was pretty good.

Awww….everyone wanted Joyce to find out, so there ya go.  My apologies for the delayed update…I'm having serious problems with this fic and I'm running out of updates to give you guys.  Hopefully I'll be able to write heaps more in the next few days!

Toodles.

K.


	53. Brother Amos

CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE: BROTHER AMOS

Sunday: 11:30pm 

**15th August 1999**

**California: Sunnydale**

Buffy ducked into a roll, avoiding a swinging fist from a large brutish vampire.  It snarled angrily and Buffy just rolled her eyes.

"_What_ is with the snarling?  Is that all you vamps are capable of?"

It snarled again and lunged towards her.

"I'll kill you Slayer!"

"You guys so need a better script writer," she taunted.  She thrust the flat of her palm against his chest, sending him flying backwards into the steps of the abandoned factory.  It stumbled and tried to clutch the railing to keep himself standing.  He fell flat on his back and Buffy saw the perfect opening.

She shoved her stake through his heart and watched as it turned to ash.  She smiled, thankful for an easy slay and turned to walk away.  She turned and flinched as light shone directly in her eyes.  Her hand came up to stop the beam from blinding her, but the light was lowered.

"You shouldn't be in here, miss." It was a security guard, torch in one hand, nightstick in the other.  

"Sorry," she replied easily, about to walk out.

"If you're looking for one of those raves, I chased a couple of kids out of here last night," he informed her.

"Oh.  Damn.  I was really looking forward to that…rave," she said, pathetically attempting to go with the cover story that he had handed to her.

"Y'know, if this place was mine, I wouldn't care.  But…I'm getting paid to keep you outta here, so…"

"I'm already gone," Buffy said, turning to leave.  She had taken two steps when she heard his voice again.

"Oh.  Miss." She turned.  "You forgot your…what is this?  A glow ball.  Huh…kids these days."

Buffy took the delicate glass orb from him, the sphere shining a brilliant orangey-yellow.  

"What is that thing?" he asked curiously.

She swallowed hard, wondering the exact same thing.  "Uh…just a…glow ball.  New model."

"Uh huh.  Well…have a good night kid," he said, leaving her at the front gates.  Buffy absently waved goodbye and turned to walk back to the house, glow ball in hand.

------------------------

Sunday: 11:55pm 

**15th August 1999**

**California: Sunnydale**

She walked into the apartment, orb still in her hand.

"What's that you've got luv?" Ethan asked curiously. 

Giles looked up from his paper and stood, seeing the glowing orb in his Slayer's hand.  She handed it over to him, the Watcher peering at it curiously.

"I found it on patrol," she explained.  "What the hell is it?" 

"Well, it appears to be paranormal in origin," Giles stated confidently.

"How can you tell?" asked Faith.

"Well, it's so shiny," Giles replied.

Buffy smirked and took the orb back from him.  

"Where'd you find it, B?" Faith asked.

"Uh…near an old factory.  Actually, a security guard found it.  He was convinced that I was an evening late to a rave and that this little glow thingy was mine," she explained.

"Ah, Rocky's.  Yeah, that was fun," Faith said absently, recalling the party from the evening before.

Buffy glared at her best friend.  "You said you were having an early night!"

"I did!  It was early when I got home…about five am."

"Uh, girls…perhaps we should concentrate on finding out a little more about this orb, rather than on your previous evenings activities," Giles said.

Both Buffy and Faith turned their attention to the Watcher, and Buffy sat beside Faith.

"So…book action?" Faith asked.

"Uh…not right now, no.  Probably best to get some sleep before we begin trying to ascertain what this object is and where it originated," Giles said.

Buffy rolled her eyes dramatically.  "You couldn't have just said, 'we'll wait til morning'?"

Giles glared, but Buffy just stood up, stretching tiredly.  "So…I'm thinking bed's looking pretty good right about now," she said.  "Night guys."

She bent over to kiss Ethan's cheek.  "I'll see you next weekend," she said hugging him.

"Course luv.  Be careful."

She pulled back and grinned at him.  "Always am."

                                          ----------------------

Monday: 5pm 

**16th August 1999**

**California: Sunnydale**

"So, no luck finding anything on this orb thingy?" Buffy asked.

"Nothing.  There's…a multitude of orbs and spheres that these texts mention, and we've managed to narrow it down to several possibilities, but…we've got nothing concrete as yet," Giles replied.

"Damn.  And I was so hoping for the afternoon off," Buffy said, grabbing a book and settling herself onto the couch beside her Watcher.  "So, where's Faith?"

"Uh…she and your brother, uh…took off," Giles said.

"Smoochies, huh?"

"Quite."

"Kicked 'em out, didn'tcha?"

"W-well…"

Buffy grinned and flipped open her book.  "You realise they probably won't come back now that you've let them go."

"Hey people!" sounded Faith's voice from the doorway.  "We're back.  And we got pizza."  
  


"You were saying?" Giles asked dryly.

"Yeah, yeah…laugh it up, fuzzball."

Faith, Jay and Xander entered, settling themselves around the room.  Giles blushed a little and turned away as he saw his Slayer greet Xander with a kiss.

"Hey you."

"Hey yourself," Xander replied, grinning as he always did whenever he saw her.  "How was the gallery?  Any interesting old stuff?"

Buffy rolled her eyes at her boyfriends lack of interest in all things arty.  "Nothing that would interest you," she replied.  "How goes the job hunt?"

He shrugged and settled himself next to her, pulling her into his arms.  "Same as always.  Not qualified enough, not smart enough, not good-looking enough."

Buffy sighed and leant against him, hoping to offer some sort of support to him.  

"You'll find something soon," she said.

"Yeah, I know."

"Any news on the orbular front?" Faith asked, mouth half-full of pizza.

"Nothing as yet," Giles replied.  

Faith and Jay sighed.  They'd researched for five hours straight earlier that day before Giles had kicked them out of the house.  To hear that there was still research to be done wasn't the best of news.

"I was thinking that maybe I should go back to the factory, check out where I found it.  See if there are any others," Buffy said.  "Maybe I'll find whoever put it there in the first place."

"Just...be careful," Giles cautioned.

"Sure thing."

------------------------

Monday: 6pm 

**16th August 1999**

**California: Sunnydale**

Buffy scanned the empty parking lot of the factory, looking for the security guard from the night before.  She really didn't need to get caught in the same place twice.  When she was certain that he wasn't anywhere near her, she quickly made her way to the entrance of the factory, entering quietly.

Inside, there was debris and rubble strewn throughout the main room.  The large metal doors had been smashed in, completely ripped away from the wall.  Buffy found herself wishing that she'd brought larger, sharper weapons.

She swallowed nervously and crept further into the room, keeping herself near the wall.  She could hear someone breathing from inside the room, but the area where he or she was had been darkened.  She squinted and was able to make out someone's form strapped to a chair in the centre of the room in front of a large pane of glass.

She raced towards him and knelt in front of him.  He was dressed in brown robes, scars on his face, blood in his hair and on his hands.  He looked to be a monk.

"Hey, it's okay," Buffy said quietly.  "I'm gonna get you outta here."

She could hear someone beginning to creep up behind her.  She saw the monks eyes widen in fear, but he was too exhausted to try and warn his young saviour.  The ropes came off his wrists and feet.

"I'm a lot stronger than I look.  And I've had a lotta experience with this sorta thing."

She could hear whomever it was stop directly behind her.  Buffy stood up and turned quickly, her hand going to the throat of her attacker.

"Most of all…I'm _not_ stupid."

It was a young woman, no more than twenty-five-years-old.  She smiled at the Slayer and shook grabbed Buffy's wrist, squeezing tightly. Buffy relinquished her hold on the woman's throat, her wrist bursting with pain.

"You sure about that, sweet cheeks?" 

Buffy didn't have time to reply sarcastically.  Instead, she was hit with a stunning right hook and went flying across the room, smashing her back against the concrete wall.  She felt part of the wall crumble behind her.  With a gasp of shock and pain, she managed to stand up, regrouping as the woman advanced towards where she stood.

The woman's fist went flying, but Buffy ducked and a hole was made in the solid concrete wall.  The other fist went flying and Buffy only barely managed to catch it before it knocked her out.  

Buffy hit her with everything that she had, and her opponent barely blinked.  She punched and kicked with all her might, and still nothing effected this woman.  

"You know what I just noticed?" the woman asked, her voice sickly sweet and beginning to grate on Buffy's nerves.  "You've got super powers.  That is _so_ cute."

She grabbed Buffy by the arms and brought them so they were face-to-face.

"Can you fly?"

Buffy was again thrown across the room, flying behind the monk and landing in a painful heap.  She struggled to stand and quickly weighed her options.  In a quick move, she raced to the monk in the chair and hauled him to his feet.  

"Hey!  Get your own dam monk!  He's the only one who knows where my key is!  How dare you defy the great Glorificus?!"

There was no way to get back to the entrance, so she ran towards the large window, throwing herself out, making sure she would land on her back with the monk on top, rather than the other way around.  

She felt a sudden rush of pain and struggled to her feet, dragging the monk with her.  

The monk stumbled and fell as they reached the gate, and from inside the factory, there was a tremendous crash.  Buffy looked up and saw dust coming from the windows.  She didn't know what had stopped the woman from following them, but she was certainly grateful.

"Come on," Buffy said, trying to get the monk to stand.

"My journey…is ending," the monk rasped.

"Don't get all metaphory on me now," Buffy said firmly.  "We have to keep going."

"I am finished," he said.  "But you…you must…you must protect the key."

Buffy looked at him in confusion, shaking her head, not understanding.

_You're not looking for a needle.  You're looking for a key._

"What key?"

"Many more will die if you don't keep it safe," he told her.

"So, if you get up we can keep it safe together," she said, again trying to pull him to his feet.

He resisted and collapsed against a pole.

"You must protect it."

"How?  What _is_ it?" she asked.

"The key…is energy.  It's a portal…it opens the door…for centuries, my brethren were it's only keepers.  Then…the abomination came…"

Buffy could only guess that the woman in the red dress who had nearly beaten her to a bloody pulp was the abomination that he spoke of.

"We had to hide the key…gave it form…moulded it flesh…made it human and sent it to you.  We gave you new memories…to make you want to keep it safe."

Buffy shook her head, still not understanding.  "Memories?  What memories?  What are you talking about?"

"We knew the Slayer would protect…"

"Protect what?  What is the key?"

"Human…now human and helpless."

Buffy tried to understand what she was being told, but it made very little sense to her.  She went to ask more, but the monk closed his eyes and breathed his last breath.  With that, the last monk of the Order of Dagon, Brother Amos, was no more.

----

Hmmm. Far too long between updates.  I'm getting a little bit slack I think.  My apologies.  I'm having MEGA problems with this fic.  No idea where the hell I'm going with it.  Plus, I'm kinda working on a new one that I won't be posting until it's properly finished, which should hopefully be soon.  Anyways, hope you guy are still reading this thing.

Toodles.

K.       


	54. Gloutier

CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR: GLOUTIER

Monday: 7pm 

**16th August 1999**

**California: Sunnydale**

Buffy stumbled into the apartment, her body aching, bruises developing on her skin, blood trickling from multiple cuts.  The group looked up, eyes going wide in horror as they took in the battered form of the blonde girl.

"Giles!" came two simultaneous cries from Jay and Faith as Xander hastened to stand.

"Christ, Buffy what happened?" Xander asked, racing to help her to walk.  He coaxed her into a chair, wincing as Buffy flinched from his gentle touch.

Giles entered quickly, eyes widening as he saw his Slayer's bruised and beaten body.  He grabbed the first aid kit and pushed Xander out of the way, kneeling on front of Buffy, tending gently to the cuts and scrapes that looked the worst.

"What did this?" Giles asked.  "Vampires?  Demons?"

Buffy shook her head, still trying to grasp what had happened.  "A woman."

She was met with four looks of confusion.  "A woman?  A regular woman?" Giles asked.

Again, the Slayer shook her head.  "She was strong.  Like…really strong.  Stronger than me.  She looked human.  She called herself Glorificus."

"Vampire maybe?" Faith suggested.

"No…her hands were warm when we fought," Buffy said.  

"But she's dead right?" Xander asked nervously.  "You _did_ kill her, yeah?"

"Uh…not exactly.  More ran for my life type of deal," Buffy explained.

Giles dabbed at a wound with antiseptic, making Buffy wince in pain.  He apologised quietly, but continued to clean her cuts.  Buffy's jacket came off and the group collectively grimaced as they saw the darkening bruises that ran up and down Buffy's bare arms.

"What did she want?" Jay asked.  

"Apart from beating the crap out of me, I don't really know…there was…there was this monk there with her.  It looked like…it looked like she'd been torturing him," Buffy said.

Silence descended upon the room, none of them wanting to dwell on the fact that a seemingly human woman had been capable of torturing anyone, let alone a monk.

"What happened to the monk?" Xander questioned, almost afraid to ask.

"Dead," Buffy said, looking away, shamed that she hadn't been able to save him.  "I got him out of the building, but…he died."

"I wonder what he knew," Giles pondered quietly.  "What this woman wanted from him."

"Something about a key," Buffy said, meeting Giles' eyes.  

Giles looked at his charge curiously, knowing that the fact that the woman was after a key was in no way coincidental.  Buffy had been dreaming about looking for a key, and it looked as though the dreams were definitely beginning to fulfil themselves.  

"This monk guy…he told me that I had to protect it," Buffy said.

"Did he say anything else?" Giles asked.

Buffy shook her head, mouthing the word 'later' to her Watcher, not wanting the others to know the ins and outs of her dreams.  They didn't really know that being the Slayer entailed prophetic dreams, and she wanted to keep it that way.  

"No…he was kinda vague," Buffy said.

"Yeah, those dying monks really should get their acts together," Xander quipped.

Jay and Faith both quickly slapped him upside the head.

"That's not funny," Faith said quietly.

"Well uh…perhaps in the morning.  Things might be clearer then," Giles said. 

------------------------

Monday: 9pm 

**16th August 1999**

**California: Sunnydale**

The group finally departed, and Giles immediately wanted to know what Buffy had been keeping from the group.

"What else did you find out?"

"Well…the monk, he…he said that his brethren had made the key.  That they sent it to me to protect," Buffy said.

"Made it?  You mean to say you have to protect a regular key…a car key for instance?" Giles asked.

Buffy shook her head, her mind too tired to keep up with the rapid fire questions.  She needed sleep desperately, but she knew her Watcher would want to know everything he could as soon as possible.

"No.  He said that before the abomination came, the key had no form," Buffy said.

"The abomination?"

Buffy nodded.  "I think he was referring to the chick that kicked my ass," she said.

"Alright.  And what happened after she came?  If the key has no form, how can he expect you to protect it?" Giles asked.

"He said that they gave it form.  Gave it flesh.  Made it human.  They sent it to me," Buffy said.

"Human?  The key is a person?"

"That's what he said.  He just didn't say who it was.  Just that the key was energy until they gave it a human body," she said.

Giles sat in silent thought for a moment before standing up and heading towards his desk.  He opened a drawer and picked up a brown leather journal that Buffy used to record her dreams.  He flipped through the pages as Buffy looked on curiously. 

"You think this is related to part of my dream?" Buffy asked.

"Quite possibly."

He handed the journal to her, pointing to a sentence a quarter of the way down the page.

"In your dreams, you tell the boy that he has far too much energy," Giles said.  

"So…you think that the key is a guy?" Buffy asked.

"Quite possibly," Giles replied.

"Alright…well…who are the guys in my life that I'd want to protect?" Buffy asked.

"Well…theoretically, it would need to be someone fairly new," Giles said.  "Someone that we'd never really known before."

"No, this monk guy…he said he'd given me new memories," Buffy said.  "It could be anyone really.  Ethan, Jay, Xander.  You."

Giles nodded and sat down on the couch, removing his glasses to polish them on his shirt.  He went silent for a moment and finally stood up, heading towards the bookcase.  Buffy sat back, just watching him, too tired and too sore to even try to move.

Giles took one of the books down from the shelf, flicking through it.

"Ah…here.  I might have something," Giles said.

"Wow…that was fast."

He ignored the comment and continued on.

"There's a spell…well, it's more of a trance really.  It allows the spell caster to see spells," Giles said.  "And…assuming that this key has been made of magic, it would leave behind a trace signature."

He read further down the page and looked up at his Slayer.

"There was a monk from the order of Dagon in the sixteenth century, famous for his ability to maintain a meditative state at the most advanced level."

"Gloutier?"

Giles nodded.  "He created a spell, or a trance rather.  c."

"Pull the curtain back," Buffy translated.  "I could work with that."

"Buffy…your meditative skills are…incredible for someone your age, but…Gloutier was legendary for achieving transcendent levels of conscious thought.  It took him decades before he was able to do it.  His levels of concentration were…"

"Better than mine?" Buffy asked.  "Damn…I knew you were going to say that."

"I'm only saying that…it could take a while before you're ready to do this trance.  You've never worked with magick before," he reminded her.

Buffy sighed, knowing that Giles was right.  Of course, that had never stopped her before.

"Then I'll learn."

Hmmm. Far too long between updates.  I'm getting a little bit slack I think.  My apologies.  I'm having MEGA problems with this fic.  No idea where the hell I'm going with it.  Plus, I'm kinda working on a new one that I won't be posting until it's properly finished, which should hopefully be soon.  Anyways, hope you guy are still reading this thing.

Toodles.

K.


	55. Tara II

CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE: TARA (II)

Friday: 5:25pm 

**20th August 1999**

**California: Sunnydale**

Buffy had been researching for the last four days about the spell that she wanted to use.  She'd been practising her mediating, and she knew within herself that she was ready to attempt the trance.  All she needed, however, were a few supplies, which she had phoned the Magic Box to see if they stocked.

After discovering that everything she needed for the spell was in stock, she had jogged briskly over to Main Street.  

There was a bell above the door the tinkled as she entered.  The lighting was a little dull, creating atmosphere within the room.  The shopkeeper, Mr Bogarty, was a balding man in his early fifties.

"Welcome. How may I serve you today?" his accent was faked and Buffy could immediately tell.

"Oh, uh…"

"Love potion? Perhaps a voodoo doll for that unfaithful…"

"No, I called earlier," Buffy interrupted him.

"Oh.  Sorry," he said, slipping back into his American accent.  "Lot of touristy people wanting ouija boards and rabbits feet."

She followed him down to the counter.  

"I'll be back in a moment," he told her.  "They're out back."

She nodded and began browsing the shelves as Mr Bogarty went into the backroom.  The bell tinkled over the doorway and Buffy looked up.

"Tara?"

Tara looked shocked to hear someone calling out her name.  Her eyes went wide as she saw Buffy standing on the lowered level of the store.

"Buffy!  Hey.  W-what are you d-doing here?" Tara asked.

"Just some shopping," Buffy replied.  "Needed some ingredients for this spell that I wanna try."

"Y-you're a Wiccan?"

Buffy shook her head.  "First timer," she replied.  "You?"

"Uh…I uh…I dabble."

"Cool," Buffy said, vaguely impressed.  She hadn't known this about Tara.  "So…can you…I dunno, turn people into frogs or whatever?"

Tara laughed and shook her head.  "Well, I c-could, but…I wouldn't."

"Even if they _really_ deserved it?" Buffy asked with a grin.

"N-no.  J-just…simple spells," Tara said.  "Floating pencils and s-summoning the four elements."

"Simple," Buffy repeated.  "Uh huh…sounds…complicated to me."

Tara smiled and walked to the counter, picking up several items that Buffy didn't recognise as she made her way through the store.

"It's not.  It uh…takes p-practice."

"So I've been told," Buffy replied.  "I'm kinda worried that it won't work, but…here's hoping I guess."

"W-what spell are you trying?"

"It's a uh…a trance," Buffy replied.  "A spell to see spells.  _Tirer la couture."_

Tara looked at her in confusion.  

"I uh…d-don't speak French."

"Oh.  It means 'pull the curtain back'.  With any luck it should help me see a spell that I've been researching for the last week," Buffy explained.

Tara's eyes went wide and she swallowed hard.  

"What?" Buffy asked.

"Pull the c-curtain back?"

Buffy nodded.  She couldn't understand why Tara would seem so nervous about that spell.

"Don't you need to m-meditate for t-twelve hours for it to w-work?" she asked.

Buffy nodded.  "Yup.  I'll be starting it at four tomorrow."

"In the m-morning?"

Buffy wasn't particularly looking forward to the early start, but she knew that she needed to find out everything she could about the key, no matter what the cost to her.  

"Yeah.  Not so fun, but…it'll be worth it if it works," Buffy said.

Tara nodded and Mr Bogarty returned from the back room, holding a bundle of incense and a canister of orange sand.

"Here you go," he said, placing it on the counter.  "This looks like pretty specific stuff.  Mind if I ask what it's for?"

"Nothing dangerous," Buffy assured him.  

Mr Bogarty nodded.  He quickly calculated the cost on the register and packed it into a bag, taking the money from the Slayer before bidding her to have a good day.  He quickly did the same for Tara and shooed them out of the store so he could close up for the day.

"So…you go there often?" Buffy asked as they strolled along Main Street.

"A b-bit," Tara admitted.  "Mr Bogarty's r-really nice."

"Is there any particular spell you're working on at the moment?" 

"N-no.  Just uh…there was o-one spell that I've w-wanted to try for a-awhile."

"What is it?" Buffy asked curiously.

"I…I needed a Second.  To make it work.  It needs t-two people."

"Well…I dunno that much about magick, but…I wanna learn.  Maybe practice something before I start this ritual thingy tomorrow.  Maybe I could be your Second," Buffy suggested.  "Unless you've already got someone."

Tara looked at Buffy, hesitating for a moment.  After a few seconds, Tara nodded and Buffy grinned, excited at the prospect of her first spell. 

"Cool.  Where?"

"Uh…h-how about at m-my place?"

------------------------

Friday: 6pm 

**20th August 1999**

**California: Sunnydale**

Buffy and Tara sat cross-legged, facing each other on the floor of Tara's room.  The room was average size, with black painted walls.  There were fairy lights string from one wall, posters and other decorations on the walls.  It was fairly clean and smelled faintly of incense.

"We'll s-start out slow," Tara said.

Buffy nodded and the two girls held each others hands, their eyes closed.  For several seconds, the silence reigned.

"Uh, Tara?" 

"Yes?"

"Start out slow with what?"

Tara blushed bright red and the two dropped hands.  
    
    "Sorry," Tara said, completely embarrassed.  "We're going to f-float the rose.   Then we'll uh…u-use the majicks to pluck the petals off, one at a t-time. It's a test of, uh…synchronicity.  Our m-minds have to be perfectly attuned to work as a…uh…a s-single delicate implement."
    
    "And the fact that I've never done magick of any kind before won't…you know…kill us both?" Buffy asked.
    
    Tara shook her head.  "No, it should be alright."
    
    "Should be?" Buffy repeated.
    
    Tara gave a shy grin, amused by the nervousness that she could hear in the Slayer's voice.
    
    "It'll be fine."
    
    "Cool."

"And it should be very p-pretty."

They took hands again and both began concentrating once again.  After several seconds a breeze swept into the room and both girls opened their eyes to see what was happening.  The rose was in mid-air suspended between them.  They slowly dropped hands and Buffy couldn't help but grin with excitement.

"It worked!"

She looked towards Tara who was staring at Buffy with wide, shocked eyes.

"Tara?"

"You…you're…"

Buffy began getting nervous.  "What is it?  Tara?"

"I've n-never met anyone with so m-much power," Tara whispered almost reverently.

"Power?  My strength you mean?" 

"No…it's…there's something in you…light.  It's beautiful."

Buffy smiled, still unsure what Tara meant, but trying to take it as a compliment.

"You're trance tomorrow…I think it'll work."

---

Bit of a non-chapter I know, but I figured I should probably update this sooner or later.


	56. Blue II

CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX: BLUE (II)

Saturday: 4am 

**21st August 1999**

**California: Sunnydale**

Buffy poured a circle of sand across her bedroom floor and settled herself into the middle of it.  She lit a stick of incense and placed it carefully in front of her.  She shook out her muscles and closed her eyes, her hands on her knees.  Her breathing evened out and her mind went blank, the slayer settling into the beginning of her trance.

Giles and Ethan were researching, still trying to find out what the orb was, and to find out any information they could on a demon who called herself Glorificus.  They had received strict instructions to keep the noise down in the apartment, and no one as to come upstairs for any reason, unless the world was ending.  There was a note attached to the front door of the apartment telling any visitors to enter as quietly as they could so as not to disturb Buffy.

------------------------

Saturday: 4pm 

**21st August 1999**

**California: Sunnydale**

Buffy's eyes snapped open, her body telling her that it had been a success.  She opened her eyes, everything dulled down.  She stood slowly, and looked at the orb that she had placed on her desk.  It was glowing a brilliant orange, brighter than it usually glowed.  On the table beside it, several items, such as talismans that Ethan had given her glowed a light yellow as well.  

She turned to look around the room, her attention caught by a flashing object on her bed.  She brought her hands down to touch the small stuffed animal, but her hands went right through it.  She moved to touch another of the animals that wasn't flashing and was able to pick it up without any problems.

She looked more closely at the animal that flashed.  It was a small blue rabbit.  Jay had given it to her as a memento of their childhood.  It was as old as Mr Gordo, and had been Jay's favourite when he'd been growing up.  He'd given the rabbit the name 'Blue', named aptly after the colour of its fur.

Buffy stared at the flashing item, completely confused as to why it would be flickering in and out of view.  She turned and scanned the rest of her room.  On the mirror, she noticed movement in her photographs that had been stuck to the glass.

She moved towards them, looking closely at what was on them.  Many of the photos seemed perfectly normal, but every single picture of Jay flashed, her twin disappearing and reappearing every few seconds.  Sometimes, he merely went out of view, and other times, he was replaced with another person.

She turned again and opened her cupboard.  Inside, there was a jacket that was flashing as well.  It too was one of Jay's.  Buffy swallowed hard and forced herself to come out of the trance.

She stumbled, the room suddenly lighting back up.  She looked again at the pictures, only to see them as normal, Jay's face smiling back at her.  She walked to the bed and reached to touch Blue, perfectly able to feel the stuffed animal.

Buffy picked it up and went to the door, walking out into the corridor.

"Giles?"

"Buffy," he replied, standing up from his seat as she entered the room.  "How did it go?  Did it work?"

She nodded, still trying to work out what it all meant.  "Yeah.  It worked."

"And?"

She handed him the stuffed rabbit, which he took with some confusion.  

"What is this?"

"It was Jay's.  When he was little," she explained.

"And you're giving it to him because…?" Ethan asked.

"When I did the trance…it was flashing."

"Flashing?" Giles repeated.

Buffy took the rabbit back from him, staring at it pensively.

"Disappearing then coming back.  And one of the jackets in my wardrobe.  And some of my pictures as well, the photographs," she explained.

"Photos of whom?"

"Of Jay.  I…I think that the key…I think it's Jay."

"You're brother?" Giles asked.

Buffy nodded and began pacing the room, rabbit still in hand.

"It would make sense though, wouldn't it?  They knew I'd protect someone I was related to.  They knew that if they built my memories of him, that I would be willing to do anything keep him safe.  And they're right," Buffy said.

"Buffy…we don't have any proof of this," Giles said.

"No…Giles…I know it.  The dreams, what the monk said.  It all makes sense.  My dream has been fulfilling itself lately, and…I know that it's Jay."

Giles sat on the couch and watched his Slayer pace.  This was a lot to take in.  To try and understand the exact nature of what Buffy was telling him was extremely difficult.  If Buffy was right, then it meant that Jay wasn't really real.  Or, he was real, but he hadn't always been there.

The monks who had created him must have had a great deal of power to be able to manipulate so many people's perceptions of reality.  It was an intricate web of lies they had spun.  Buffy had memories of Jay from before she had been taken to the Council, and the memories since they had been reunited were as real to her as the memories she now had of her first meetings with Willow and Xander.

Faith and Jay's relationship was completely false, but Giles could see the real affection that the two teenagers shared with each other.  

"Remember when I told you that I thought the boy in the dream was Jay?  You asked me how I hadn't recognised him earlier?  What if the reason I hadn't recognised him was because before that, I'd never seen him before?" Buffy asked.  "What if he hadn't existed when the dreams started?"

Giles picked up Buffy's brown leather journal and flicked through the pages, searching for the first entry about the boy in the barn.

"Your dream about it began on the twenty-ninth of May," he said.

Buffy did a quick mental calculation and looked up at her Watcher.

"That's exactly twelve weeks ago Giles," she said.  

"Twelve?  Perhaps…" 

"Giles…maybe that's what the other part of the dream meant," Buffy said.  "The significance of the number twelve."

"Days, years and hours, wasn't it?" Giles asked.

"Yeah.  Jay and I were born twelve hours apart.  He was born at six in the evening, and I was born at six in the morning.  At sunrise.  Mom told me that she named Dawnie because of the time I was born.  So she'd have part of me in her daughter," Buffy explained.

"And twelve years?"

"I was taken when I was five, right?" Buffy said.  Buffy looked to Ethan who nodded sadly.  

"The twenty-fifth of January if I remember correctly," Ethan said.

"And…when Jay and I were finally reunited as brother and sister, it was twelve years later."

"Exactly twelve years?" Giles asked.

Buffy did a quick mental calculation.  She grabbed apiece of paper and wrote several dates down on it.

"Twelve years minus twelve days," she said.  "There's no way that that's a coincidence."

"It could very well be unrelated…"

"Giles…there are two things that I don't believe in.  Coincidences and leprechauns."

"Buffy, you don't know that for sure.  They may well be unrelated," Giles said gently.

She frowned and nodded, knowing within herself that she was right about Jay.

"I was right about the leprechauns though, right?"

"As far as I know…"

Buffy grinned, enjoying the suddenly thoughtful look on her Watcher's face.  She'd just given him something else to begin researching, she knew it.

"Anyways…back to this whole number twelve thing.  The trance I did took twelve hours and it led me to this wonderful conclusion.  Jay is the key.  And…regardless of whether he's my brother or not…I have to protect him."

----

Why did it take so long to update?  Hmmm…good question.  I've finally managed to get my arse into gear and remembered another storyline I was going to use.  Funny what a lot of time can do to your memory.  Sorry for the lack of updates, hope you're still reading.  (Oh, and check out my latest fic 'Test That Theory'…I'm willing to beg.)

Toodles.


	57. Dagon

CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN: DAGON

Saturday: 4pm 

**21st August 1999**

**California: Sunnydale**

Buffy flicked through the ancient tome, not looking for anything in specific, just perusing through the volume.  

"Found anything?" Giles asked, coming out of the kitchen, a cup of tea in his hands.

"No.  I'm not even sure what I'm looking for anymore.  The words seem to just be blurring into one another," she said.

He sat beside her and handed her the cup.  She took it with a grateful smile, sipping at the warm liquid and letting it filter through her body.  She closed her eyes tiredly and leant her head against her hand, her elbow on the arm of the couch.

"So, where's Ethan anyway?  He's never been this late before on the weekends.  Not without calling at least," Buffy said.

Giles frowned and checked his watch.

"He hasn't phoned.  I was hoping he might have found out a little more about this woman you've had dealings with," Giles said.

Buffy scrunched up her nose at his phrasing. 

"Had dealings with?  You make it sound so…sordid," Buffy commented.

"Sorry.  I'm just…I have to admit I'm a little worried."

Buffy sighed and glanced down at the book in her lap again, flicking through the pages randomly.  She took another sip from her tea and looked around the apartment, trying to get her eyesight to stop playing up.

She blinked hard and looked back down at the book, a familiar word causing her to have another look at a particular paragraph.  Giles saw her sudden interest in the book and moved himself closer to his Slayer to read over her shoulder.

_And thus, the Order of the Brethren of Dagon created through their majicks a Sphere to repel that which cannot be named.  The Dagonsphere, blessed by all that is pure and holy, ensured for the Brethren safety from ancient and primordial evils.  _

"Uh…Giles.  That monk, Gloutier…he was from the Order of Dagon, right?" Buffy asked.

Giles nodded and finished reading the paragraph.

"You don't think…" he trailed off.

Buffy stood up and walked over to Giles' desk, picking up the orb that was being used as some sort of a paperweight.

"The Dagonsphere.  I think this is it," Buffy said, holding it up at eye level.

"To repel that which cannot be named," Giles mused.

"Cannot be named…that doesn't make sense," Buffy commented.  "What, were they afraid to call it by a name?"

"Unless they weren't able to call it by name…suppose it didn't have a name at all," Giles added.

"I'm sure they could have made a better name than 'that which cannot be named'.  It sounds…well, a little too Voldemort-ish."

"A little too what?" Giles asked.

"Oh…uh.  Never mind," Buffy said, flushing a little.  Dawn was definitely rubbing off on Buffy, and the evil villain of Dawn's favourite books was a name that had stuck in Buffy's mind.

Buffy looked at the orb, silently contemplating what it could possibly do.

"Uh…Giles…you know how I said I rescued a monk," Buffy started.  "What if he was from the Order of Dagon?" 

"You think he might have planted the orb?  In hopes that you would find it." 

"And…if it was him that put the Dagonsphere there, then…what if that woman _is_ that which cannot be named?" Buffy asked.

"Some sort of uh…'ancient and primordial' evil you mean?"

Buffy nodded.  

"It's…possible I suppose."

"But she had a name.  She called herself Glorificus," Buffy said.

"We still haven't been able to find out anything else about any demons or creatures of any sort named Glorificus," Giles said.

Buffy sighed and set the orb back on the desk and went to take her seat on the couch again, but before she had a chance to move, the door opened abruptly.  Buffy turned, almost going into battle mode, startled by the sudden intrusion.  She relaxed immediately when she saw her brother and her best friend.

"Hey guys," Buffy greeted.

She grinned at her brother and the smile almost instantly faded.  This boy…man…her brother, was the Key.  It didn't make sense.  She shook off those thoughts immediately.  She didn't care if it didn't make sense.  Jay was her brother in every sense of the word, and there was no way she was going to give that up.

"Hey B, G.  Where's Ethan?" Faith asked.

"We're not exactly sure," Giles replied.  He stood and motioned for the two new-comers to have seats.  "Tea?"

"Water?" Jay asked.

"Faith?"

"Nah, I'm good."

Giles nodded and moved into the kitchen.  Buffy took her seat on the couch beside Jay.

"What are you guys doing?" Buffy asked.

"Visiting you.  Seeing if Ethan was here," Faith replied.  "I'm kinda worried.  He was meant to call if he wasn't going to be here this weekend."

"You knew there was a possibility of him not being here?" Buffy asked.

Faith nodded.  "Yeah, he…oh.  Oops.  He told me not to tell you that part."  
  


Buffy rolled her eyes and leant forward in her seat, suddenly desperately worried about her 'dad'.

"Where'd he go?" Buffy asked.

"He told me not to tell you that part either," Faith replied.

"Faith!"

Faith sighed and took out a piece of paper with an address on it.  She handed the slip of paper to Buffy who read it, her worry increasing further.

"Why'd he go back there?" Buffy asked.

"He was hoping he could get more information about this chick you've been fighting," Faith said.  "He figured that if anyone was going to know anything about it, it would be the Council."

"Like the Council has a clue about anything," Buffy scoffed.

Giles returned, handing a glass of chilled water to Jay and retook his seat across from the three teens.

"Buffy, I know you believe that the Council is…well, filled with pompous old Brits who do nothing but drink tea and eat scones, but…contrary to popular belief, they are incredibly good at finding out what is happening in the demon world," Giles said gently.

"They may be good at finding out about it, but what the hell do they do about it?  Where are all their resources going?  They should be trying to stop the evil that happens rather than just telling me about it," Buffy said.

"Buffy, you are the Slayer-"

Buffy held up a hand to stop her Watcher from bursting into the spiel that had been ingrained into her since she could remember.

"I know.  I'm just…griping.  But that still doesn't change anything.  Ethan knows how I feel about the Council," Buffy said.

"That's why he didn't tell you, B," Faith said.

Buffy sat back in her chair, her fingers going to her mouth, her teeth nervously biting at the ends of her nails.  

"He'll be okay Buffy," Jay assured her.  "You know him.  He won't get himself into trouble."

"I do know him," Buffy agreed.  "And that's why I'm so worried."

----

Dedicated to Nikki…just cos.  ;)  Even though it's another non-chapter really.  I swear, I'm working on finishing this thing.  

Toodles.

K.


	58. Ethan III

CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT: ETHAN (III)  
  


**Saturday: 12noon**

**21st August 1999**

London: Watcher's Council 

Ethan snuck through the Council Archives, searching for anything that looked as though it would have information on the demon or creature 'Glorificus' that Buffy had had so much trouble fighting.  As much as he hated the Council and everything they stood for, he did appreciate their resources.

He pulled a book from the shelf and flicked through it quickly, adding it to the pile of books in his increasingly heavy duffle bag.  He had yet to work out how to get out of the Council grounds with the books without being spotted, but he wasn't worried about that at that moment.

He pulled out another book and was stopped by a familiar voice from behind him.

"Ethan Rayne."

He turned slowly, swallowing hard and trying to get a confident smirk onto his face.

"Quentin.  How wonderful to see you again," Ethan said brightly.

Quentin Travers scowled and made a grab for the bag, but Ethan held it out of the man's reach.

"What are you doing down here Mr Rayne?" Travers asked coldly.

"Just some research," Ethan replied.  "Dreary weather, makes for a day when you just want to spend it tucked up in the library."

"In the restricted section of the Council archives?" Travers asked.

Ethan just nodded.  "What better place to be on a Saturday afternoon?"

"Still doing freelance work, I take it?" Travers asked conversationally.

Ethan stopped in his tracks, unsure where the conversation was about to head.  He should have known not to answer, but, as always, he spoke first and thought later.

"You know me, old chap.  Can't resist a bit of mischief when the price is right," he said.

Travers nodded, a thoughtful look on his face.  Ethan felt a cold shudder run through him.  As far as people went, Travers was as evil as they came.

"I may have a little job for you to do then Mr Rayne," Travers said.

Ethan fought to remain calm.  "Oh.  What and where might that be?"

"I need some information about someone," Travers replied.  "In Sunnydale."

Ethan felt his heart leap into his throat but fought to remain calm.

"Sunnydale eh?  Where's that?"

"California," Travers replied.

"Right.  What's in California that needs puzzling out?  Not another Potential I hope," Ethan said.

"No, not a Potential," Travers replied honestly.

Ethan nodded, holding back the urge to pummel the man in front of him.  Travers was actually talking about harming Buffy.  Ethan couldn't believe how thick Travers really was.  For nearly seven years now, Ethan and Buffy had been meeting and exchanging letters and Travers still hadn't figured it out.  

"So…who is it?  And what do you need found out?"

------------------------

**Sunday: 4pm**

**22nd August 1999**

California: Sunnydale 

Ethan strode through the front door of Giles' apartment, not berthing to knock.  Buffy was the first to look up from her book, a smile appearing on her face.  She jumped off the couch, scaling the back of it to reach Ethan.  He pulled her into a tight hug, kissing her forehead gently.

"Ethan!  I was so worried about you," she said, her voice muffled against his shirt.

"I'm alright luv.  Takes more than a visit to the Council to kill this old fool," he assured her.

She stepped back and hit him across the chest.  "Fool is about right.  I can't believe you would even think about going to the Council without telling me."

"I knew you'd never let me leave if you knew where I was going," he said.

"Damn right she wouldn't have," Giles added, coming out of he kitchen.  "And neither would I."

"I'm surprised that Faith let you go," Buffy said.

Ethan sighed and let himself be dragged to the couch by an energetic Slayer.  He sat and put an arm around Buffy as she curled up beside him.

"So, what happened?" Buffy asked.  

"Nothing really," Ethan said.

Buffy pulled back to look up at him.  She scoffed when she saw the lie written in his eyes.

"Big dumb…liar guy," she said.  "What happened?"

"Travers suspects something," Ethan admitted.

"Suspects what?" Giles asked, seating himself on the single couch opposite them.

"Suspects that Buffy may be having more of a life than Slayers are allowed to have," Ethan explained.  "He uh…asked me to do some investigative work."

"And you agreed?" Giles asked.

"I couldn't bloody well say no.  He'd suspect something was off if I did that," Ethan said.  "And he'd have sent someone else to do it if I said no.  Better me than some stranger."

Giles sighed and nodded.  He'd been wondering when the Council would work out that Buffy was doing her job far better than the other Slayers.  He'd never written anything about the 'Scoobies' in his Journals, so the Council wouldn't be able to have written proof that Buffy had been bending every rule in the Slayer's handbook.

"When are they expecting you to report back?" Giles asked.

"Within a week.  And if I don't give them back some hard evidence of Buffy doing her duties as she is meant to, then…they'll come here themselves to investigate," Ethan said.

Buffy swallowed hard.  She didn't want the Council in Sunnydale ever again.  The last time they'd shown up had been bad enough, and she really wasn't in the mood to have to deal with them ever again.

"What exactly constitutes as hard evidence?" Giles asked.

Ethan rummaged through the bag at his side and pulled out a hand-held camcorder.  Inside the bag, there were three others that Ethan was supposed to place strategically throughout the places that Buffy most frequently was.

"They want twenty-four hour surveillance for the next five days.  I'm to take the tapes back to the Council by next Saturday," Ethan said.

Buffy and Giles exchanged worried glances.  That meant that for the next week, Buffy would have to be the perfectly behaved Slayer that the Council believed her to be.  That meant that her friends, her family would have to be cast to the side in favour of Buffy being a 'true Slayer'.  

"Mom's not going to like this," Buffy said quietly.

"I know luv," Ethan replied.  "But…it'll be worth it in the end.  If it'll keep the Council off our backs, then it'll definitely be worth it."

Buffy sighed and nodded, closing her eyes as she leant against Ethan's shoulder.  As almost an after thought, she pulled back again.

"What about stuff on Glorifcus?  Did you find anything?"

Ethan shrugged and pulled out several volumes of ancient books.  "We'll find out soon enough I suppose."

                                          ----------------------

**Monday: 9pm**

**23rd August 1999**

**California: Sunnydale**

Buffy wasn't thrilled with what Ethan had proposed, but she had agreed to undergo surveillance.  Ethan was to set the cameras up to start filming early the next morning, and Buffy was enjoying her freedom until then.  Giles had told her to enjoy an evening free of patrol, though Buffy had done a few quick sweeps, not willing to forego what she'd been Chosen to do.  Xander, Jay and Faith had accompanied her, and the four friends were on their way back to Giles' apartment, ready to do more research on Glorificus and the Order of Dagon.

Buffy opened the apartment door, laughing and joking with her friends.  She stopped abruptly, her heart sinking and her entire body beginning to shake.  Xander saw the reaction instantly and his hands went to her hips as he stood behind her.

"Buffy, baby, what's wrong?" he asked quietly.

Buffy swallowed hard and looked at the four men in the living room.  Faith managed to step up next to Buffy, Jay and Xander noticing that the ex-Potential seemed to be just as worried as the Slayer.

One of the four men stood, his face showing his unhappiness.

"Miss Summers," Quentin Travers greeted.  "How wonderful to see you again."

----

Ooo, the return of the evil council man.  *grins*  Heheh…my apologies for the lack of updates, but I'm seriously having trouble writing this fic…so…yeah.  Thanks to everyone for reviewing and emailing.  Ooo, I got nominated for an award for this fic as well.  Very very cool!!  

Toodles.

K.


	59. Wesley

CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE: WESLEY

**Monday: 9pm**

**23rd August 1999**

**California: Sunnydale**

Ethan and Giles were trying to remain calm, but on the inside they were panicking.  They had no idea of what the Council would do to them for going against the rules of the Watcher's Council.  The fact that Buffy was allowed to socialise with civilians, as well as date and have a job was something that no other Slayer had been allowed to have.  Giles knew that his desire for Buffy to have a somewhat normal life may very well have just sentenced her to death.

"Have a seat," Travers said coldly.

Buffy swallowed hard and stepped into the living room, seating herself on the single couch opposite the man she hated more than anything in the world.  Jay, Faith and Xander lingered in the doorway, unsure of what they should be doing.

Travers cast his gaze to the trio, his eyes landing on Faith.  "Ahh, Miss Adams," he said to the ex-Potential.  "I must admit, I wasn't expecting to see you here.  I'd suggest you take your…friends and leave before we decide to take action against you as well."

Faith wanted nothing more than to yell at the man who had terrorised her best friend for years on end, but she knew that if she did anything, it would only make things worse for Buffy.  She grabbed Jay and Xander and left before either of them could say anything.  

Buffy closed her eyes, a sick feeling in her stomach as she heard the door click shut.

"I must say, Miss Summers, I am most disappointed by you," Travers said.  Buffy could hear that he wanted to start laughing.  Buffy restrained herself from standing up and hitting Travers as hard as she possibly could.  "When we listened to the recordings from the bugging system we planted on Ethan, we were shocked to hear of your extracurricular activities."

Ethan looked as though he was about to be sick.  He hadn't known that he'd been bugged.  Knowing that it was he who had basically put Buffy in this position was killing him.

"You are aware, aren't you, of the rules in regards to civilians, are you not Miss Summers?" Travers continued.

Buffy nodded.  "Yes sir."

"Just so we know we're both on the same page, what rules would these be?"

Buffy sighed and wanted to break down and cry.  "The Slayer is to have no contact with civilians unless they are reliable informants.  They are to form no emotional attachments to any person.  The Slayer is an instrument used to fight evil, and as such should have no desire to do anything except eradicate evil from the world."

Travers nodded and stroked his chin as though he were deep in thought.

"I assume I don't have to tell you that you've broken that rule.  From the looks of it, not only are you associating with civilians, but you are in a romantic relationship with one of them as well," Travers said.  "Am I correct?"

"Yes sir."

"Well, I don't think I need to tell you that this cannot continue.  You will have no further contact with anyone in this town, except for your Watcher," Travers explained.

Buffy looked up at Giles who wouldn't meet her eyes.

Travers chuckled and Buffy felt her stomach drop even further.

"By the way, Miss Summers, your Watcher, Rupert Giles has been fired from his position," Travers informed her.

Buffy's eyes flew open in shock and disgust.  "What?" the question was out of her mouth before she even registered that she shouldn't be talking back to the Head of the Council like that.  Travers walked towards her and stood in front of her.

"Stand up," he ordered.

Buffy hesitated for a split second before doing as she was told.  She stood and looked Travers in the eyes.  She couldn't believe that even after all these years there was still hatred in the depths of his eyes.  She wondered why he still hated her when she wasn't there to annoy him at the Council.  

Buffy saw him raise his hand and prepared herself for the blow.  It seemed so unnatural to let someone take a swing at her.  Every fibre of her being was protesting against the attack.  She could see it coming, knew the exact move to counter it, but she could not.  She was suddenly a scared eleven year old being beaten in Travers office.  

He backhanded her fiercely, using every ounce of his strength.  The blow rocked Buffy, but she didn't stumble.  The blow had hurt, but it wasn't the most painful hit that Buffy had ever received.  It hurt her pride more than it had hurt her face.

"Do not question the decisions of the Council Miss Summers," Travers hissed angrily.

Buffy nodded submissively and Travers stepped away from her.  She took her seat again, keeping the tears at bay.  She hated that she'd just been humiliated in front of Giles and Ethan.  

"Mr Giles allowed you to break the rules that have been in place for eons.  It will not be tolerated.  He's being shipped back to England when I leave tomorrow morning."

Buffy's eyes once again widened.  She looked at her Watcher who looked as though he was struggling not to cry.  Buffy swallowed hard, unable to imagine life without Giles.

"This is Mr Wesley Wyndham-Pryce," Travers said, pointing towards the younger man in a suit who sat opposite Buffy.  She hadn't even paid all that much attention to the man.  She looked him over and wondered whether this man would even know how to kill a vampire if he was met with one.

Wesley Wyndham-Pryce nodded snootily and let his eyes wander over Buffy.  She had the desire to squirm under his obvious appraisal of her, but she held her ground.  She couldn't believe that she was still terrified of Travers and of the Council.  

"You'll have tonight to inform your…friends that you are no longer able to associate with them," Travers said coldly.  "Mr Giles has informed us of the situation with Glorificus.  The Council will be looking into the matter and will be assisting you in ways to defeat this woman.  As soon as that task is done, you will be removed from Sunnydale, and you will never set foot in California again."

Buffy felt like bursting into sobs.  Her mouth had gone dry and the words running through her head no longer made sense.  Buffy was fairly certain that Travers had said more, but she hadn't been paying attention to anything else.  Her mind had shut down under this barrage of new information. Not see her friends, her family anymore?  It didn't seem real.  She didn't know how she was supposed to stay away from them.  It was a small town.  She wondered if she could deliberately keep Glorificus alive so that she could stay in Sunnydale.

Then there was the other problem.  If she was supposed to protect Jay from Glorifcus, how was she supposed to do that if she wasn't able to talk to him anymore?

------------------------

**Monday: 9:30pm**

**23rd August 1999**

**California: Sunnydale**

Travers and Wesley had left, leaving Ethan, Buffy and Giles sitting in absolute silence when the door closed.  Tears threatened to spill from Buffy's eyes, but she kept them in check.  Until, that is, Ethan stood up and pulled Buffy into a fierce hug.  The tears fell and her small body began wracking with sobs.  He sat in the chair and pulled her onto his lap, rocking her gently.

Giles felt tears of his own slide down his cheeks.  He had until tomorrow morning to vacate the apartment that had become a home to him over the last year.  He knew it wasn't the apartment itself, it was more the people within it.  He didn't know how he was supposed to leave Buffy alone.  He was already formulating ideas of how he could stay in America.  He'd have to call in several favours.  

"They're gonna make you go away," Buffy cried, clutching Ethan's shirt in her small hands.

Ethan stroked her hair gently and kissed her temple.  "We'll find a way around it."

"How?" 

Ethan was silent.  He didn't know how he was going to find a way around this.  Having Giles as Buffy's Watcher had been a tremendous help to Ethan.  Giles hadn't restricted their seeing each other, but Ethan knew enough about Wesley Wyndham-Pryce.  As much of a coward as he was in battle, he was a stifler for rules and regulations.

"I dunno luv," he admitted sadly.  "We'll find a way.  We always do."

----

Ahhh, fluffy Ethan.  Such a change from bastardy Ethan…figured I should at least update this one…

K.


End file.
